


Compass

by paigeafterpaige



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, Mentioned Lee Jooheon, Mentioned Shin Hoseok | Wonho, Mentioned Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 11:55:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13974603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paigeafterpaige/pseuds/paigeafterpaige
Summary: As his first semester of university starts, Minhyuk finds himself in much of the same classes as the boy from orientation week. Over the course of those classes, he gradually moves closer and closer to him, first choosing to sit a few seats down the row from him but eventually, one day, sitting down right next to him. In the beginning they stumble through hesitant small talk, but as the days and weeks pass by, it gets easier. They never see each other outside of school, until one day Kihyun invites him over and Minhyuk says goodbye to his Friday night, to his game and his pizza, and follows the boy home, smiling at him as he realizes that they are friends now.





	Compass

On a Monday morning at the beginning of March, Minhyuk saunters into building No. 5, as per the instructions of the email he received informing him about orientation week. He has never been the studious type, but he is excited about starting university. Last weekend, his parents helped him move into a tiny studio apartment near the school and, although he from now on has to do all the cleaning, laundry and cooking he so far enjoys the newfound freedom of living alone.

He's looking forward to making new friends, being an adult, living his own life and go to parties and drink alcohol and whatever else university students do. He also likes not having to wear a uniform anymore, and he spent way too much time last night picking out an outfit that would at the same time look stylish but also like he just pulled whatever he could find from his closet. He's looking effortlessly stylish in his blue knit turtleneck and skinny black jeans. His straight, black bangs stop just above his eyes, implying that he's the laid-back type that doesn't care he's due for a haircut, while in reality his bangs are painstakingly maintained at just the right length.

So it is with a displeased frown he takes in the guy strutting through the doors he just came through, while he's waiting in line to confirm his attendance outside the lecture hall the freshmen will be gathering in. The guy is wearing a red knit turtleneck over a white turtleneck and black skinny jeans with rips on the knees. His hair is a warm caramel shade, about the same length and styled in the same way as Minhyuk's own. He manages to look even more effortlessly stylish than Minhyuk, and as if that's not enough, he's handsome to boot. Luckily, he looks shorter than Minhyuk is, although he can't tell for sure from this distance.

It's Minhyuk's turn in line next and he rips his eyes from the guy to focus on the instructions of the woman at the desk in front of him. After that he's showed into the lecture hall and told to take a seat and wait until 9 AM when the program starts.

 

After greetings from various professors and some upperclassmen and receiving general information about the orientation week, the new students are all divided into a few groups for team building exercises, so they can start off the week by getting to know the other students. The upperclassmen in charge of the exercises don't seem to have any consideration for the fact that they're basically just forcing random strangers to cooperate with each other for a little while, which won't make people magically become friends with each other.

The group Minhyuk's in is headed by two second-year students who introduced themselves simply as Wonho and Shownu. They're both muscular and look sporty — Wonho more buff while Shownu is more athletic — and Minhyuk dearly hopes they won't make them do any physically demanding tasks because he hates that.

They're led to an open area between some classrooms where Wonho orders the new students to get into groups of six while Shownu starts walking around handing out newspapers to each formed group.

Minhyuk, feeling a bit lost as he watches people start to group up, spots a group of only four people across the way. He's about to make his way over there when he feels a hand on his arm and he is pulled into a group of five guys by the copycat guy from before. Now, standing close to him, he notices that the guy indeed is shorter. Unfortunately, he also looks more handsome up close — sharp jaw, high cheekbones, straight nose, pretty almond-shaped eyes — and he oozes confidence as he takes charge of their group.

Wonho explains the rules of the game; open the newspaper and put it on the floor, then everyone in the group needs to stand on it. After that, fold the newspaper in half and stand on it again, and so on. All tactics are allowed. To pass, at least one person's foot needs to be on the newspaper and no feet can touch the floor. Groans of displeasure at the rules arise from the freshmen, but at Wonho's promise that the group that wins receives a gift, they quiet down.

Minhyuk looks at the newspaper in doubt. It is big enough for all of them lying spread out on the floor, but after folding it a few times, there's no way all six of them will manage to stand on it. He voices his worries to the group, but turtleneck boy shushes him, tells him to trust him, because he's done this before.

The more times they fold the newspaper, the more intimate with each other the group has to get, but with their unofficial leader's instructions they manage to pass every round. Some groups have already failed, but several other are still in the game. Unfortunately, their newspaper is getting alarmingly small and their leader decides that their previous tactic of holding on to each other's shoulders and balancing on one foot each will no longer work.

"Three people should get on the others' backs," the boy suggests. "The ones on the ground stand on their toes and hold on to each other for balance."

"Do you think it'll work?" one of the guys asks in doubt.

"It's worth a try," another one comments.

"Who gets on whose backs?" a third one wonders and an intense game of rock-paper-scissors commences.

Minhyuk ends up as one of the three losers on the ground, but he, Turtleneck and the third guy manage to get it to work by clinging onto each other and their group passes the round. Turtleneck suggests they take off their shoes for the next round. There are only a handful of groups left now — the previous round eliminated the majority of the groups — but he seems to be determined to win.

Their newspaper is folded impossibly small now, but Turtleneck somehow cajoles them all into another try and Minhyuk finds himself hugging him. The third guy, who's taller and have longer arms than them, hugs them both from the side and the three guys on their backs are sort of crushing them all into an awkward group hug with Minhyuk and Turtleneck in the middle.

Minhyuk can feel Turtleneck's warm breath on his neck and his toes and back hurt but the guy's pretty comfortable to hug so he tries to concentrate on that feeling. "What's your name?" he asks into the guy's ear as their group is struggling to balance.

He can feel it when the guys answers, because they're standing so close, "Kihyun, why?"

"I don't think we've been introduced yet. I'm Minhyuk."

"You think this is a good time for introductions?" The guy lets out a breathless laugh. He's probably struggling as much as Minhyuk to keep his balance under the weight of another guy on his back.

"I'm just trying to make this less awkward," Minhyuk confesses. And he did kind of want to know the guy's name.

They sway precariously on the newspaper and Kihyun leans further against Minhyuk. He can suddenly feel all of his slim body against his own and it feels good and that's not a good thought to have in this situation, but then Wonho finally announces that they passed and their group falls apart and Kihyun is gone. Minhyuk takes a deep breath and flexes his toes and rights his clothes and decides that he's not participating in the next round.

Luckily, it appears that he doesn't have to, because Wonho announces that their group won and they yell excitedly, and he's hugging Kihyun again, in celebration this time, but he feels just as good as earlier, so Minhyuk abruptly pulls away.

Their gift consists of two weeks' worth of meal tickets for the school cafeteria per person and Kihyun looks slightly disappointed, but Minhyuk's excited, because it's free food and he has Kihyun (and the other guys) to thank, but then Wonho announces the next game in which they have to group up with other people and Kihyun is whisked away by some girls before he has the chance to say anything to him.

 

The orientation week passes by uneventfully. They sign up for classes, get a campus tour, get useful information about university life and studying and keeping deadlines and passing exams.

The highlight of the orientation week is a freshman party at a large restaurant on Friday night. The upperclassmen from earlier in the week, and who have also joined the freshmen at lunch every day and for the campus tour, usher the excited students into the restaurant where they sit down on the floor at long tables. Food and drinks are brought in and it doesn't take long for the noise levels to rise as more and more people get on the highway to Inebriation. Minhyuk, obviously, is one of them.

He's chatting with a guy on his right, whose name he heard and promptly forgot, just like what he suspects will happen with this conversation the moment it's over. Shownu is walking around the restaurant like a silent security guard, making sure everyone's okay, no one dies from alcohol poisoning and there's no indecent exposure or too much PDA going on anywhere. He comes by Minhyuk and his conversation partner just as the guy decides to throw up on his empty plate.

Minhyuk jumps back in shock and disgust, praying nothing got on him as he checks his clothes. If he was sober he would probably worry about the other guy more than his clothes, but this shirt is new and it was expensive and he does not want any nasty vomit stains on it.

Shownu steps up to the guy and easily hoists him to his feet with his hands under his armpits and leads him away somewhere, presumably the restroom. A few moments later, a waitress sweeps by to clean up and Minhyuk feels sorry for her, but he doesn't offer to help, because yuck. And he's pretty drunk too, so he doesn't think he'd be of much help even if he tried. He's not sure he can even stand properly anymore. He can't really feel his legs.

He sits up on his knees and with a hand on the table as support gets to his feet, his legs wobbling under him. A hand settles on his waist from out of nowhere and his vision swims as he turns to Kihyun looking at him with a frown.

"Are you okay?"

Minhyuk blinks and wills his mouth to speak. He's pretty sure he spoke not too long ago, but he's suddenly finding it difficult. "I think my legs are asleep," he finally manages to get out after he figures out how to operate his mouth. A surprising number of body parts are involved in speaking.

Kihyun moves his hand from his waist to his shoulder and pushes down lightly. "Maybe you should sit down and stretch out your legs."

Minhyuk easily sinks back down to the floor with the boy's light touch and feels his legs start to prickle as he stretches them out in front of him. A large glass of clear liquid is thrust in his face and he wonders when and where Kihyun got it. He pushes the glass out of the way, even if it looks tempting.

"Thanks, but I've had enough soju for tonight," he explains.

Kihyun moves the glass back in his face. "It's water. You should drink it." He waits for Minhyuk to accept the glass and drain it before he leaves.

 

Some time later, Wonho squats down next to him. "The restaurant closes soon, so the party's over," he announces. "Will you be okay getting home?"

Minhyuk looks around the restaurant and sees that a lot of people have already left. Most of the people left look to be somewhere on the fine line between wasted and passed out, the rest asleep. The other upperclassmen — and he thinks he even spots Kihyun — are walking around waking people up and talking to them. If he wasn't so drunk himself he would wonder how all these people are going to get home and how he wouldn't want to be in charge of helping them get home in one piece.

He looks back at Wonho's kind eyes peering at him from under purple bangs and he feels for this kind, beautiful specimen of a human being who has to take care of these poor, lost souls reduced to the infantile state they currently are in. These ugly, worthless dregs of humanity.

It's not until Wonho laughs at him that he realizes he spoke out loud. "Thanks for worrying about me," the guy says. "But I'm more worried about you. Can you get home on your own? Do you live far away?"

Minhyuk admires the other's smile and feels himself smiling unrestrainedly in response. Actually, he might have been smiling all night, he can't remember. Does he ever stop smiling? He tries to stop, but he's not sure how to do it — it's that problem with his mouth again; it's very complicated to use — so after a while he gives up.

Wonho repeats his previous questions and Minhyuk realizes he's supposed to answer. "Yes. I think I live nearby. Where are we?"

Wonho laughs again and holds a hand out for him to grab and pulls him to his feet. "I'll help you get a taxi. You remember your address, right?"

Minhyuk tells him his address and keeps repeating it until he's in the taxi and it drives away. He's not entirely sure he ever stops repeating it until he passes out in his bed and his tired mouth finally stops moving.

 

As his first semester of university starts, Minhyuk finds himself in much of the same classes as Kihyun. Something about the guy intrigues him, makes him want to get to know him. At first he thinks it's his looks and that he just wants to… Well. But there's also something about the overly confident way he moves, the way he drags a finger over the shelves in the library and haughtily turns his nose up at the dust that gathers. The way he with a gentle smile sings along to a song on his iPod in a beautiful singing voice when he thinks no one's listening. The way an unrestrained smile stretches across his features and his eyes turn into crescents as he watches something funny on his phone. Minhyuk wants to figure the guy out, become his friend, listen to him singing freely, hug him again and touch a finger to those pink lips. But mostly he wants to be able to look at him from up close and not from behind a shelf in the library like some stalker. The librarian is starting give him weird looks.

He's not a stalker, though, he swears he's not a stalker, and if anyone asks why he knows those things about Kihyun, he'll just tell them it's because they have so many classes in common. Over the course of those shared classes, he gradually moves closer and closer to the other boy, first choosing to sit a few seats down the row from him but eventually, one day, sitting down right next to him. Kihyun doesn't look up as he does, only continues to scroll through his phone waiting for class to start, bored look on his face.

"Hi," Minhyuk says. He merely gets a nod in return, but Kihyun's lukewarm response won't deter him. "I'm Minhyuk. I don't know if you remember, but we did the newspaper game together during orientation week."

The other boy finally meets his eyes. "I know."

"I guess it's kind of difficult to forget about the stranger you had to hug while being crushed by another guy on your back…" he tapers off as Kihyun just continues staring at him, blank expression unchanging. He lets out an awkward chuckle. "Unless you do that regularly, I mean. Being squished between two guys…" Kihyun is starting to look even more unimpressed with him the more he talks so Minhyuk, obviously, hastily continues with — in an attempt to remedy the situation — "We basically had a orgy on that newspaper, didn't we? Us in the middle with the other guys on top of us…"

Kihyun gets up and moves to a seat as far away from Minhyuk as possible.

 

The next day he starts up his game of Approaching Kihyun anew. Kihyun's rejection didn't deter him, rather, it made him more determined to get to know the guy. He feels like he's stalking a wild animal, like he is one of those wildlife photographers who dress in camouflage and branches, become one with nature and slowly infiltrate the animal's hideout just to get the perfect shot of it. He imagines he is sneaking up on his own little wild hamster.

He starts moving closer to Kihyun again, a little bit at a time, strategically choosing seats in the boy's vicinity, close enough that he'll see him and get used to him, but far enough that he won't be scared off. Every day he sits a little closer than the previous day and a week after his first try, Minhyuk sits down next to him again.

"Hi. I'm Minhyuk."

"I know." Kihyun looks up from his phone and gives him an impatient look, as if waiting for him to get to the point.

"Good. I was worried you might have forgotten. We didn't get to talk much last time-"

Kihyun interrupts him, "I do not want to talk about orgies with you, nor am I interested in them, so if that's what you're here for you can leave."

"I just said that because I wanted to talk to you but I didn't know what to say," Minhyuk quickly hurries to explain, calming the wild hamster down before it runs off again.

Kihyun raises an eyebrow in question. "So you thought orgies was a good topic for small talk? For casual conversation?"

"Not exactly, but you looked like you didn't want to talk to me so I just had to say _something_ and… orgies came to mind."

"Well, it's safe to say that even if I had wanted to talk to you before, I certainly did not want to after you mentioned orgies. And I really do not want to know why you thought of orgies when you thought about the game."

Minhyuk chuckles awkwardly. "Well, it was just. All us guys clinging onto each other like that felt weirdly intimate, right?"

"I said I didn't want to know."

"Right." He tries to come up with something else to talk about, but doesn't want to risk scaring Kihyun away again. "Is there anything else I should refrain from talking to you about? Besides orgies?"

"There are lots of things I don't want to discuss with you," Kihyun says deadpan. "I don't even know you."

"But if we get to know each other you'll talk to me about them?" Minhyuk probes carefully.

"Depends." Kihyun points to the front of the room where the professor is entering and says in a voice that makes it clear that it's the end of their conversation, "Class is starting."

Minhyuk is happy that Kihyun didn't object to the idea of them, maybe, eventually, becoming friends. And that he didn't scare off his little hamster this time.

 

Minhyuk sits next to Kihyun in their next class too, and the one after that, and the next one. In the beginning they stumble through small talk, hesitant, careful questions asked by Minhyuk on a topic he hopes is safe and one-word answers from Kihyun. But as the days and weeks pass by, it gets easier and Kihyun finally starts showing interest in his camouflaged friend, nearing him with more confidence and letting him get closer. Minhyuk is sure he'll soon get his photo.

They never talk outside of the familiar territory of the lecture halls and classrooms. Minhyuk is afraid of disturbing his little, furry friend when he's out scavenging for food or down at the waterhole. Until finally one day, when he thinks Kihyun has gotten sufficiently comfortable around him in class, he ambushes him in the cafeteria.

Kihyun eyes widen in surprise as he sees him standing by his table and Minhyuk stills, ready to back off if Kihyun prepares to flee. A moment passes by and the boy goes back to stuffing his cheeks with food, apparently realizing it's just the friendly photographer and not a predator. Minhyuk takes that as his cue it's okay for him to sit down, so he places his tray opposite Kihyun and sits.

"I have to go to the dentist after lunch so I'll miss class," Kihyun says then and Minhyuk mentally notes that it's the first time he has initiated conversation between them. Even if it's just to let him know he'll miss class. "Could I maybe… could I borrow your notes after?" Even if it's just to ask a favor. But Minhyuk won't complain, because Kihyun _asked him a favor_ and that's what friends do. They might not be friends-friends yet, but this must mean they're at least friendly with each other. Minhyuk adjusts the focus on his camera, gets ready for the shot.

"Of course," he answers, smiling. "I don't know how good my notes are, though. Do you want me to tell the professor?"

"I already sent him an email, but thanks." Kihyun smiles a bit at him in response. "And I'm sure your notes are better than no notes."

 

Minhyuk is on his way home one day, after the one class he doesn't have in common with Kihyun, when he hears footsteps coming up on him from behind. He spins around at the sound of his name being called and almost drops his camera on the floor in shock at seeing his little wild hamster out here, far away from the safe burrows of the classrooms and even his main feeding area, which they have started sharing daily.

"Are you busy?" Kihyun asks without preamble.

"I was on my way home, but I guess not." He had actually planned on being very busy playing games until dawn, since it's Friday and he can sleep as long as he wants to tomorrow. But this is the first time Kihyun has ever approached him, so his game doesn't feel that important anymore.

"It's just," Kihyun says, looking a bit uncomfortable, like he's about to admit something difficult, but he needs Minhyuk's help so he needs to tell him. Perhaps his burrow collapsed in on itself and he needs help digging a new one?

Kihyun continues, avoiding his eyes, "We have that assignment due on Monday, and I'm having some problems with it. I've noticed you're pretty good in that class, so I was wondering if you could help me out?"

Minhyuk blinks at him, not sure he heard that right. It's true he finds that particular class quite easy, but Kihyun's not dumb either. But what does he know? Kihyun's looking at him now, expectantly and a tad worriedly, and Minhyuk has a feeling he'll take back his request for help if he doesn't answer soon, tell Minhyuk he doesn't need help after all and Minhyuk can go home and play games all night, alone, just like he wanted. Suddenly, spending time with Kihyun, even if it's to help him with school work he's not sure he needs help with, sounds a lot more tempting.

So Minhyuk says goodbye to his Friday night, to his games and strained eyes, to pizza and a bloated stomach. "Yeah, of course. Right now?"

Kihyun nods, looking relieved for a moment but tensing up again as he answers. "Yes. I don't have my laptop with me, so I was thinking… I mean I live nearby… If you don't mind…"

Minhyuk's stomach does a weird flip at the prospect of going to Kihyun's apartment, because that's what he's saying, right? He's inviting him into his private burrow, where Minhyuk knows he lives alone, and he's not sure why the prospect of seeing how a hamster lives makes him so excited but it does.

 

They keep their conversation light as they walk to Kihyun's apartment. It's about a ten minute walk from campus, like Minhyuk's is, but in another direction. Kihyun lets him into his small single and the first thing he notices is how clean it is. It's the complete opposite of his own, messy studio. As he takes a few steps into the combined kitchen-dining-living area, he briefly wonders how much time Kihyun spends on cleaning every day, because there's not a speck of dirt anywhere. He even strokes the tip of his finger along a shelf like he's seen Kihyun do in school and it comes away clean. No dust anywhere.

"Do you want something to drink?" Kihyun asks from the kitchenette inside the front door. "Coffee, tea? I've only got instant coffee, though."

"Coffee would be nice, thanks."

Minhyuk takes a seat on the couch while Kihyun prepares the coffee, twiddling his thumbs as he waits. He doesn't understand why he feels so nervous. He's just here to help Kihyun with his assignment and they're friends — friendly, at least — so this shouldn't be so awkward.

When the coffee is done, Kihyun brings their cups to the table where his laptop rests. "I think it might be more comfortable to work at the table," he says hesitatingly, looking between Minhyuk on the couch and said table.

"Oh! Yeah, of course." Minhyuk jumps up and hurries to the table to sit down next to the laptop, in front of which Kihyun sits a moment later.

They sit in silence as Kihyun turns on the computer and they wait for it to wake up. Minhyuk slurps on his coffee, burns his tongue on the hot drink and coughs as it goes down the wrong pipe. When he's finally breathing normally again and he has wiped the tears that had gathered in his eyes, the laptop is thankfully up and running and Kihyun is opening up a browser and their assignment.

Working on the assignment gives them something to do and a common topic to talk about and the awkwardness slowly seeps away. Minhyuk is still not convinced Kihyun actually needs help, but he doesn't bring it up. Kihyun takes notes, but doesn't write the actual assignment. They look for references together and Kihyun copies down the urls to email Minhyuk so he can use them in his own assignment easily without having to look for them again.

Minhyuk doesn't notice what time it is until his stomach growls and Kihyun snorts out a laugh. "Are you hungry? I think I have some leftovers we could eat," he offers, but then adds quickly, as if afraid of sounding too pushy, "Unless you'd rather go home. I think we're pretty much done. I just need to write it."

Kihyun looks both hopeful and apprehensive as he looks at Minhyuk from out of the corner of his eye, and Minhyuk wants to ease his worries as soon as possible. "Well, I never say no to home-cooked meals."

Kihyun gets up, a smile on his face. "Let me just heat it up. I think there's a drama on right now. We could watch it while we eat, if you want?"

"Sure," Minhyuk agrees with a smile. "I like dramas. Just rarely have time to watch them." He gets up to move to the couch and grabs the remote for the TV to turn it on and look for the right channel.

"Do you have a part-time job or something?" Kihyun suddenly wonders from the fridge. "I'm not keeping you away from it, am I?"

"No," Minhyuk assures him, finding the channel and putting the remote down. "I usually play games when I have free time."

"I hope I'm not keeping you away from some important battle with your team or whatever, then," Kihyun jokes.

"If that was the case I wouldn't be here." Except he probably would. If it means he gets to hang out in Kihyun's apartment and eat his home-cooked meals, he wouldn't hesitate to lie to his team he has urgent business to attend to. He doesn't think it's the right time to tell Kihyun that. They're not close enough yet.

Kihyun brings two large bowls of bibimbap and sets them down on the coffee table. "I just added whatever leftovers I had, I hope you don't mind," he says, sounding like he's ashamed of providing Minhyuk with a less than stellar meal.

Minhyuk lifts up a bowl and gawks at the variety of ingredients in it. "If these are leftovers, I wonder what it's like when you've just cooked," he comments, amazed. "The most I can bother to make is a fried egg."

Kihyun looks both a bit touched and proud at his praise and he picks up his own bowl to stir it and eat. "What do you eat then?"

"Instant food, ramyun, delivery, kimbap, lunch boxes from the convenience store…"

Kihyun gives him his best 'unimpressed' look, one that Minhyuk has learned is one of his most used expressions, the one he defaults to when something doesn't meet his standards. "That sounds terribly unhealthy. Getting proper nutrition is important when you're studying."

"I just can't be bothered with cooking. Maybe if you cooked for me…" He says this as a joke, but Kihyun seems to take him seriously and he doesn't mind.

"I usually cook a lot when I do, so I could invite you over for dinner sometime." Kihyun looks at him, waits for a reaction, like he's wondering whether he said too much, crossed some line that people who are friendly with each other but not friends-friends shouldn't cross.

Minhyuk smiles at him, realizing that maybe they are friends now. Maybe this night made them friends. Kihyun inviting him to his home, giving him food, sort-of promising to cook for him, a drama playing on the TV in the background. Isn't this what being friends is?

Yes, he decides, they're friends now. Whether Kihyun thinks so or not, whether Kihyun considers him a friend, he considers him his.

"Don't promise too much. Before you know it, I'm here every night eating you out of house and home," he finally replies after keeping Kihyun in suspense for long enough.

The laugh he gets in return makes him press the shutter button on his camera. He finally got his perfect shot.

 

After the Friday night they spent together working on the assignment, eating leftovers and watching TV until midnight, Minhyuk doesn't bother with his camouflage anymore, doesn't tape branches to his hat, doesn't hide in the bushes. He knows Kihyun won't run away anymore so he doesn't need his disguise.

They sit together in class, chat about an ever increasing number of topics before the lectures start, compare notes after class, eat lunch together in the cafeteria and Minhyuk is happy, elated. He's always been a positive person, but being with Kihyun makes him even happier and he finds himself smiling when walking to school, because he knows he'll see him soon.

What warms his heart, touches him deeply and finally convinces that little part of him that still doubted that they are friends-friends now, that Kihyun is not a wild hamster anymore, but a tame pet hamster, is the scene he witnesses when he walks into class late one morning. The professor hasn't arrived yet, but most of the seats in the room are taken. A guy is about to sit down at the one available seat next to Kihyun, but Kihyun stops him, tells him the seat is taken, that he's waiting for his _friend_. He turns in the direction of the door and when he spots Minhyuk he smiles and waves him over and Minhyuk practically skips to his seat and he wants to hug Kihyun, embrace him tightly and kiss his cheek, but he doesn't because they're in class and such a reaction would be a bit extreme. He contents himself with saying good morning and thanking him for saving him a seat.

"What are you thanking me for?" Kihyun says, avoiding his eyes as if embarrassed. "We're friends, right?"

Minhyuk really wants to hug him again, so he does. Puts his arms around Kihyun's shoulders and pulls him in as close as the chairs will let him. "Thanks anyway!"

When he pulls away he could swear the tips of Kihyun's ears are red.

 

Kihyun starts inviting him over on Friday nights, effectively stealing his game nights away from him by cooking feasts for them that they eat on the couch with a drama playing on the TV in the background. Minhyuk usually goes home around midnight, but one night they buy soju and Minhyuk falls asleep on Kihyun's couch. He wakes up in the morning, a blanket covering him, to the sound of Kihyun making breakfast and he thinks he would be content staying on his couch forever. Then Kihyun snatches the blanket away from him and pulls him to the table, sets a steaming cup of coffee down in front of him and bowls of rice and soup and some side dishes and his table is not a bad place to be at either.

 

They often hang out after school and go shopping or to play games at arcades or out for drinks sometimes on Saturday nights. Kihyun is always careful about how much he drinks, staying sober enough that he'll be able to help Minhyuk get home when he inevitably has one drink too many. Kihyun never complains, just smiles gently at him as he holds him upright, supports his weight as he leads him home, tucks him into bed and doesn't leave before he makes sure Minhyuk is asleep and won't throw up in bed and choke on his own vomit. When Minhyuk wakes up in the morning, Kihyun is always gone, but there's a glass of water and painkillers on his bedside table. Sometimes Minhyuk tells him to drink more, let loose, that he won't abandon him on a street corner even if he himself is drunk, but Kihyun tells him he's fine with not drinking much, doesn't want to be a bother to others, but Minhyuk thinks he's afraid of making a fool of himself, too proud to show him his wild side. Or perhaps, he just doesn't trust Minhyuk fully yet, doesn't trust that if he gets wasted, he'll take care of him like Kihyun takes care of Minhyuk. It makes him sad, but also encourages him to work harder until Kihyun trusts him with his life.

 

Minhyuk invites Kihyun over to teach him how to play computer games, but Kihyun ends up cleaning his apartment instead. Minhyuk invites him over again and Kihyun does his laundry for him. The third time he comes over he manages to get him to play and Kihyun likes it so much he comes over every now and then, but usually they hang out in Kihyun's larger and cleaner apartment, watching dramas or soccer or just talking over a few beers and fried chicken until Minhyuk drags himself home or Kihyun tells him to stay over and sleep on his couch because it's already so late. When Kihyun comes out of his bathroom in his pajamas, hair wet from his shower, Minhyuk wishes he could kiss him goodnight, but he has to content himself with using words.

 

Minhyuk learns that Kihyun is not always as confident as he seems at first glance. He is, however, incredibly proud and won't ever admit that he isn't full of confidence. He is sort of a clean freak, but sometimes Minhyuk manages to convince him that the dishes won't grow moldy overnight, they can wait until next day and when Kihyun returns to the couch to sit down by his side, Minhyuk puts an arm around his shoulders to prevent him from leaving him for the kitchen sink again.

 

One of Kihyun's favorite hobbies is singing. He shows Minhyuk just how good he is whenever they go to karaoke, the both of them singing at the top of their lungs at first, but Minhyuk eventually sits down, puts his microphone away and enjoys his private concert, Kihyun's voice full of emotion as he sings sad ballads and full of spirit as he sings the newest pop songs. Minhyuk also likes singing and he's not bad either, but he finds out he prefers listening to Kihyun. At least while singing, Kihyun lets loose in front of him.

 

The year passes by in a blur and before he knows it, Minhyuk is cramming for the last exams of his first year. Kihyun drags him along to the campus library, claiming it's a distraction-free environment for them to study in. However, Kihyun is sort of a distraction himself sitting by his side, nose deep in a textbook and lips mouthing the words as he reads. So even though Minhyuk's thankful that he wants to help him, he gives up on trying to study for important exams with the other boy and goes home.

Kihyun looks a bit hurt and sad and Minhyuk wants to kiss that pout off his lips, but instead of doing that he assures him he just studies better in an environment full of distractions — like his messy room — and with the promise he'll study hard, Kihyun lets him go.

When he gets home, his computer tempts him from his desk, the filthy clothes covering his floor reminds him it's high time he did laundry (or invites Kihyun over) and there's an alarming amount of dust under his bed and in the corners, but at least there's no Kihyun here to distract him, so he plops down on his bed and forces himself to read his books like he had promised.

 

With exams and the first year over and done with and some free time before the second year starts, Minhyuk drags Kihyun along to a party he was invited to by some guys he talks to sometimes, who live together in a share house with two floors and a large living room. He and Kihyun bring a pack of beer and some bottles of soju and they're greeted with open arms by one of their classmates who is already well on the way to wasted.

They're showed into the kitchen and pushed into taking shots and it's not long until they join the people dancing badly to the latest pop songs blasting from speakers in the living room. It turns out Kihyun's dancing stinks, so Minhyuk takes it into his own hands to show him how it's done. He spots Wonho, a senior he remembers from orientation week, and proceeds to give him a lap dance. An embarrassed and slightly irritated Kihyun drags him away quickly and decides they have done enough dancing for the night.

"I was having fun," Minhyuk protests as he's being pulled by the hand into the kitchen. "And he liked it. Didn't you see him smiling?"

"I didn't like it," Kihyun mutters under his breath, handing Minhyuk a beer and grabbing another one for himself. He nods at the group of guys standing together on the other side of the room. "Let's go talk to them."

 

They drift about the house, talking to people they know from class, chatting to complete strangers, popping into the kitchen every now and then for more beer or to be cajoled into soju shots. Minhyuk expects Kihyun to stop drinking after his first few beers or at least after the first couple of shots, but he doesn't. When he asks him why he's drinking so much tonight, Kihyun tells him that he wants to celebrate their first year being over and Minhyuk would believe him if he didn't know this excessive drinking to be unusual for him, if he didn't see the hint of _something_ — sadness, longing, hope — in his eyes. When he tries to probe Kihyun for the real reason, Kihyun firmly lets him know there is no other reason, the discussion is over, so Minhyuk contents himself with the fact that at least Kihyun seems to feel close enough to him, trust him enough to drink freely.

Luckily, the tension that appeared between them soon dissipates, thanks to a couple more drinks and Kihyun dragging him back to the dance floor they had abandoned earlier in the evening. Drunk off his ass, Kihyun is a decent dancer and when he does an incredible wave while being bent over backwards, Minhyuk is torn between wanting to watch him and wanting to drag him away to prevent the other people in the room from ogling him.

 

Minhyuk has lost track of how many drinks he has had. What's more important than that, however, is that he has also lost Kihyun. He had promised Kihyun he would wait for him, but now he's gone and he doesn't know where he is. He can't find him even as he frantically runs around the entire house in his search for him, repeatedly calling his name. He trips over an empty bottle on the floor and slips on the stairs and hits his tailbone, but the pain doesn't register as he heaves himself up and continues on his quest for Kihyun. He asks everyone he meets if they've seen him, and someone answers that they saw him dancing, another that he was in the kitchen, yet another doesn't know who he's talking about.

Suddenly a voice is calling his name and a hand is grabbing his and Minhyuk almost cries tears of relief as he turns and pulls Kihyun into a bruising hug. "I've been looking for you everywhere. I couldn't find you. I thought I'd never see you again," he murmurs into his shoulder.

Kihyun pats him on his back soothingly. "I told you I went to the bathroom."

Minhyuk leans back to peer into Kihyun's amused face. "Did you?"

"About five times."

"Just don't leave me again."

Minhyuk doesn't let go of Kihyun's hand even as he breaks away from their hug and Kihyun doesn't try to make him.

 

It's three in the morning when they finally stagger home, supporting each other with arms around each other's waists. Kihyun's wasted — just as wasted as Minhyuk. He wants to think it's because he was with him, that Kihyun trusted him to be there for him and take care of him, but the memory of that fleeting look he saw in Kihyun's eyes earlier comes back to nag at the back of his mind. Even drunk like he is, he wonders what it meant and he wishes Kihyun would tell him.

They don't say anything, but Minhyuk follows Kihyun to his apartment and inside. Kihyun hands him a blanket and pillow and spare pair of sweats — slightly too short for him, but more comfortable than his jeans — and he lies down on his couch and promptly passes out.

 

The sun is up and it is past noon when he wakes up. The apartment is quiet. He goes to the bathroom to freshen up a bit and then peeks into Kihyun's bedroom, finding his friend fast asleep. Looking too adorable to wake up just yet, he closes the door carefully and makes coffee for them. He searches through Kihyun's fridge and finds some leftovers he heats up. He sets the table before he goes to wake the other up, leaning over his bed and shaking his shoulder lightly.

"What time's it?" Kihyun mumbles sleepily, hair a mess on his pillow.

"1 PM. I made breakfast. Or lunch. Brunch."

This makes Kihyun sit up straight in bed, groaning from his hangover and rasping out a "You what?!"

Minhyuk chuckles and hands him a t-shirt. Not that he would mind looking at his naked torso, but he's afraid Kihyun would catch him ogling him and it would be awkward to explain. "I heated up your leftovers."

Kihyun visibly relaxes and pulls the t-shirt over his head. "Good."

Minhyuk goes out into the other room and sits down at the table, Kihyun soon joining him and they make light, sleepy conversation as they eat. Minhyuk is once again surprised by how comfortable Kihyun is to hang out with, how content he is just having him by his side, and he decides not to try to get him to reveal the real reason for his excessive drinking last night. If Kihyun wants to tell him, he will.

 

Minhyuk thrusts a hand out from his cozy cocoon of blankets and swats a tired hand at his blaring alarm. After several tries he finally manages to turn it off and he squints his eyes open to check what time it is.

It's way too early to get up.

He tries to remember the reason he set an alarm last night, but cannot come up with a reason he should be getting out of bed at all today. It's Monday, but classes don't start up until next week. He doesn't have any plans or dentist appointments. After racking his brain for another moment, he pulls his blanket tighter around himself and with a contented sigh goes back to sleep.

 

An indeterminable — but way too short — amount of time later, Minhyuk blinks his eyes open to the incessant beeping of his phone. He must have accidentally pressed the snooze button instead of turned the alarm off earlier, so he blindly tries to find the right button to turn it off properly. He really wants to sleep.

After several moments of trying he thinks he has succeeded, but then the phone beeps again and he is this close to throwing it across the room. He restrains himself at the last moment and brings the phone up to his eyes to check what's wrong with it and sees that it's not the alarm that's been bothering him, but texts. That's when he remembers that Kihyun signed him up to be a buddy for the new students at their school. Who will be starting their orientation week today. And he is supposed to be there. Ten minutes ago.

> **Kihyun** : Where are you?
> 
> **Kihyun** : You're late
> 
> **Kihyun** : Everyone else is here
> 
> **Kihyun** : The students will come soon
> 
> **Kihyun** : You better be on the way
> 
> **Kihyun** : Are you sleeping?
> 
> **Kihyun** : At least answer and let me and the others know where you are and why you're not here yet like you should be
> 
> **Kihyun** : Wake the fuck up!
> 
> **Kihyun** : Get your ass over here
> 
> **Kihyun** : Lee Minhyuk!
> 
> **Kihyun** : I swear to god if you don't get to school in the next 5 minutes
> 
> **Kihyun** : Get the fuck out of bed and get your lazy ass to school
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I'm up
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Shut up
> 
> **Kihyun** : You better be on the way here
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I am
> 
> **Kihyun** : Don't believe you. Send me a pic of where you are and I better see a campus building in it

Minhyuk yawns and sits up in bed groggily, letting the blankets fall down to his waist. Goosebumps immediately prickle his bare torso and he shudders in the cool air of the room. He had told Kihyun at least 50 times that him being a buddy for the freshmen was a bad idea, but his friend insisted that he needs more extracurricular credits and that this is a good opportunity.

> **Kihyun** : The photo

Minhyuk groans at his friend's stubbornness but decides that if he wants a photo, he'll get a photo. He doesn't know where he gets the confidence — his body isn't bad, but they usually don't flaunt their naked bodies in front of each other — but he opens up the camera app on his phone and presses the button for selfie mode, taking a moment to ruffle his hair into an attractive mess. He licks his lips to get them nicely wet and shiny, then leans back against the headboard. He snaps a picture that reveals the lower part of his face and all of his long, naked torso tantalizingly disappearing into the blanket around his waist and sends it.

A few agonizing moments pass by during which he waits for Kihyun to answer, but when no text comes through he gives in and texts him first.

> **Minhyuk** : Did my body make you speechless?
> 
> **Kihyun** : Sorry, I was gouging my eyes out
> 
> **Kihyun** : I'm blind now. Thanks for that
> 
> **Kihyun** : You still need to get here. Get out of bed

 

Minhyuk sprints into the large lecture hall at exactly 8:59 AM and almost breaks his legs as he flies down the stairs, about five at a time, to get to the front of the room. The other upperclassmen serving as buddies and select professors are all predictably there already, as are all the freshmen who are filling up the seats and looking both eager and anxious as they wait for orientation week to start. Kihyun glares pointedly at the clock on the wall when he stops next to him, panting.

"I'm on time! We're starting at 9," Minhyuk gasps out, gulping down deep breaths and fanning his face. The March morning is chilly, but he still got sweaty from hurrying to get to school on time.

"We were supposed to be here half an hour early," Kihyun grinds out. "Thanks to you, the rest of us had to work that much harder to make sure the freshmen found the right lecture hall and no one got lost on campus and that everyone's here."

"You're welcome. I know how much you love working hard."

The girl on Kihyun's other side interrupts their banter by hissing out a "We're starting. Argue later." They obediently shut up, but Kihyun reaches a hand up to fix Minhyuk's hair, obviously messy from having run to school. "You're wearing different colored socks," he whispers to him while he pulls at the wayward strands of his bangs, looking pointedly down at Minhyuk's shoes.

Minhyuk follows his gaze, then shrugs, not caring. "No one will notice."

"I noticed," Kihyun points out.

"You're the only one who pays attention to my feet."

"Guys, be quiet," the girl from before hisses at them angrily and they both give her sheepish smiles, finally shutting up and staying quiet.

 

There's not much for them to do during orientation week, apart from instructing the freshmen in the same team building exercises they did when they were first-years, giving campus tours and being available during lunch for questions or just to hang out with the new students. Helping out during orientation week turns out to be some easy credits, but the best of all is that Minhyuk gets to spend his days with Kihyun.

 

On Friday at the end of orientation week, the upperclassmen herd the freshmen like a flock of sheep to a restaurant near campus for the traditional party. The first orders of food are gone before they hit the tables and the alcohol is flowing freely. They're a rowdy lot and Minhyuk tries to remember if his year was this wild, but his memories of that night a year ago are rather blurry. He assumes they were.

He is trying to slow down his drinking, since he is supposed to be responsible for the younger students and he needs to stay somewhat sober for that, but the freshmen keep pouring him drinks because he's their senior and he doesn't want to say no to them. Especially not to a cuddly, blond guy who he quickly found out has a natural talent for acting cute. Saying no to that face would be like taking the toy away from a puppy and Minhyuk is not heartless.

He's feeding the boy in question beef in exchange for the shot he received when there's a hand on his shoulder and Kihyun is sitting down on his other side, a frown on his face as he asks in a disapproving tone, "Don't you think you've had enough to drink?"

"Probably," Minhyuk admits, then puts an arm around the blond freshman's shoulders and pulls him closer, showing him off for Kihyun. "Have you met this guy? I wanna keep him!"

"He's not a dog," Kihyun points out with a scoff, frowning at the boy who's cuddling into Minhyuk's side as he keeps feeding him meat. "Doesn't he have arms? Why are you feeding him?"

"He's so cute it makes me want to take care of him," Minhyuk coos and his boy grins. Minhyuk prods at the deep dimples appearing in his cheeks.

"I want another beer." The boy blinks at him cutely and Minhyuk obediently reaches across the table for an unopened bottle, which he opens before handing it to the boy.

"Why do you let him order you around?" Kihyun impatiently demands to know from his other side. "He's younger than you."

"But I'm supposed to take care of the freshmen, right?" Minhyuk protests. "Which is what I'm doing." The boy burps by his side and he rubs his back.

"If you want to be responsible for him you shouldn't let him drink any more," Kihyun tells him angrily. "And you, especially, need to stop drinking if you want to be responsible."

Minhyuk frowns at Kihyun. "Don't be such a spoilsport. Loosen up, have a drink. It's okay to have a few beers."

"I've had enough to drink for tonight already, as have you," Kihyun grumbles. "Us upperclassmen aren't supposed to get wasted. The party is meant for the freshmen to enjoy themselves."

"You don't seem drunk at all."

"Because I know when to stop."

There's a thud and they both look at the blond boy lying passed out on the table.

Kihyun smacks Minhyuk's shoulder. "See what you did! You made the poor boy pass out."

Minhyuk pouts at him and rubs his sore shoulder. "If he's old enough to drink, he should be old enough to decide himself how much is too much. Besides, everyone needs to experience passing out from drinking at least once in their life."

"You do know that if anything happens to these people, it's our responsibility, right?" Kihyun reminds him, mouth in a grimace.

Minhyuk sighs and puts his chopsticks down on the table. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I need to pee."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Come looking for me if I don't come back. I don't want to pass out on the floor of the restroom." He gets to his feet with some difficulty and sways for a moment as the room spins around him.

Kihyun puts a steadying hand on his lower back, anger gone from his face and replaced by worry. "Will you be okay? You seem very drunk."

Minhyuk waves him off. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Look after him." He bends down and pats the passed out boy's head once, then staggers off towards the restrooms.

 

Minhyuk's leaning his cheek against the cool tile wall of the restroom, just standing there, not thinking about anything, when Kihyun walks in, giving him a once-over.

"I thought you died in here," Kihyun says deadpan. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know, the wall feels nice."

Kihyun looks a bit worried as he takes a step closer to peer at him under a furrowed brow. "Are you okay?"

Minhyuk nods, but his whole body follows the movement and he tries to grab onto the wall for purchase. His hand slips on the slick surface and he's in danger of falling when Kihyun's arms come around him to hold him up against the wall. Minhyuk gives him a lazy smile in thanks. "Is Jooheon okay?"

Kihyun takes a step back after ensuring Minhyuk will stay upright even without his help. "Who's Jooheon?"

"The puppy I showed you. The one I'm gonna keep," Minhyuk explains.

The frown lines between Kihyun's eyebrows get deeper. "So that's his name."

"Yeah, I just remembered."

"He's fine, still sleeping."

If Minhyuk was sober he would notice that Kihyun both looks and sounds like he doesn't want to talk about that boy anymore, and he would ask him why, ask him why he seems so annoyed ever since he introduced the boy to him, but he's not sober and not-sober Minhyuk thinks angry Kihyun looks hot. Banishing that thought from his mind, he pushes off the wall tiredly. "I think I should go get him. We need to go home and sleep. He can sleep at the foot of my bed tonight, but I'll get him his own little bed tomorrow."

Kihyun puts a hand to his shoulder and presses him back against the wall roughly. "You can't take him home, he's a person. And he will not be sleeping with you."

"But did you see how cuddly he is? I just want to squish him and snuggle him forever!"

Kihyun lets out a frustrated noise. "Do you realize how wasted you are?"

Minhyuk grins lazily. "Maybe…"

"You should go home. Without him," Kihyun decides, voice stern. He grabs Minhyuk's shoulder to peel him off the wall. "Can you get home on your own?"

Minhyuk nods as he falls against Kihyun side, Kihyun's arm shooting out to support him. "I can walk. It's not far."

Kihyun starts leading him out of the restroom, staggering slightly under his weight. He brings him to the entrance of the restaurant, then unceremoniously deposits him on a bench just inside the door. "Wait here, I'll bring you home. I just need to go tell the others."

"No," Minhyuk protests, grabbing onto Kihyun's sleeve to stop him. "I need to take care of Jooheon and the other puppies."

"I'll tell Wonho and the others to look after them," Kihyun says impatiently, prying Minhyuk's fingers off him one by one, then points at him, eyes hard. "Wait!"

Minhyuk obediently sits slumped on the bench until Kihyun returns, his jacket in hand which he helps put on. He then grabs his arm and pulls him to his feet, leading him outside with an arm protectively wrapped around his waist.

 

The cool air and the walk, although short, clears Minhyuk's head a bit and he doesn't actually have to lean on Kihyun as much as he does. But the other boy is comfortable against his side so he keeps leaning onto the slightly struggling boy. He leads him all the way to his apartment door, which Minhyuk manages to get open after a few tries.

"Will you be okay on your own now?" Kihyun questions once they're inside and he's helped Minhyuk take off his shoes. "I need to go back to the restaurant."

Minhyuk shrugs off his jacket and it falls to the floor in a heap. Kihyun bends down to grab it and hang it on its hook. He thanks him before answering his question, "I'll be fine and I would've been fine staying there, too. I wonder how my Jooheon's doing. Do you think he's woken up? What if he misses me and wonders where I am?"

Kihyun gives him an impatient glare. "I'm sure he's fine. He might not even remember you when he wakes up."

"I'm worried about him," Minhyuk mutters, chewing on his lower lip.

Kihyun groans and shouts at him, "Would you shut up about Jooheon already?"

Minhyuk stares at him wide-eyed, confused and hurt by his outburst. "Why are you so angry?"

Kihyun avoids his eyes and takes a few deep breaths as if to calm himself down. "I'm not. Sorry. Since you seem to be fine, I'll be leaving now."

Minhyuk takes a step closer, hand hovering in the air by Kihyun's arm for a moment before he lets it fall back to his side. He wants to touch him, to offer comfort, but Kihyun is mad at him, so he's not sure he would appreciate his touch. "Why are you so mad at me for talking about Jooheon? It's got nothing to do with you."

Kihyun finally turns his gaze on him, eyes unreadable. He sounds pained as he sighs once, twice, but he expertly schools his features into a blank, emotionless look. "You're right, it doesn't. Goodnight." He turns to leave, but Minhyuk grabs his wrist, stopping him. He doesn't want him to leave while in a bad mood, but doesn't know how to ask him to stay for a while longer. A few tense moments pass, full of hope and expectation and hurt. Kihyun patiently waits for him to say something, ask him to stay, as if he, too, feels bad about leaving like this and not solving their fight, whatever it is they're fighting about.

Minhyuk opens his mouth and closes it. Opens it again, the word 'stay' on the tip of his tongue, but his mouth closes and when he involuntarily swallows, the word slides down his throat. When he opens his mouth a third time, he can't get the word back and he instead says, "Will you be okay on your own? You've been drinking too."

A flash of disappointment passes over Kihyun's features, but in a second it's gone and replaced with stiff, impersonal coldness. "I can take care of myself. I'm leaving now."

Minhyuk nods, but doesn't let go of his wrist. "Okay, good. Bye."

"You need to let go of me." Kihyun shakes his arm lightly to make Minhyuk notice his grip on him.

"Oh yeah." Minhyuk lets out a small laugh, staring down at his hand on Kihyun's arm. He intends to let it go, let Kihyun leave. He said he's leaving and Minhyuk should let him, but he's not sure that's what they actually want. No, he's sure he does not want Kihyun to leave yet, and when he pulls at his wrist, pulls him closer, Kihyun doesn't protest so he's pretty sure he wants to stay. Kihyun's free hand comes out to rest on his chest and the cold look in his eyes is replaced by something unreadable as they dart over Minhyuk's face mere centimeters away.

"What are you doing?" Kihyun whispers, a little red in the face. It doesn't seem to be from anger anymore.

Minhyuk's own eyes flicker between Kihyun's lips and his eyes. He wants to kiss him and it's not the first time he has had that thought, so he can't blame it on the alcohol. He thinks the alcohol might be what finally makes him do it tonight, though, finally gives him enough courage to lean in. He sees Kihyun's eyes flutter closed before he closes his own and a moment later he feels his lips against his own, soft and perfect. Kihyun shakes his hand off his wrist to bring his hand up to Minhyuk's shoulder and Minhyuk roughly grabs his waist to pull him closer, to get more of that incredible mouth — it is more intoxicating than all the alcohol he's had tonight — and the feeling of his slim, but strong, body against his. He eagerly opens his mouth to the slick feeling of a tongue licking at the seam of his lips and Kihyun lets out a soft sound as their tongues meet and slide together, the hand on his chest sliding up to twist in his hair.

He's starting to feel a bit lightheaded — drunk on both alcohol and Kihyun — and he pushes the other boy against the nearest wall for support. Kihyun's back hits the wall with a dull thud and the boy lets out a groan of pain, detaching his mouth from his. Minhyuk bends down to lick a wet stripe down Kihyun's slender neck and then mouth at the underside of his jaw.

"We're drunk," Kihyun murmurs now that his mouth is unoccupied, but bends his neck to the side to give Minhyuk better access.

Minhyuk doesn't answer; his mouth is busy pressing kisses onto Kihyun's hot, smooth skin. He runs a hand down Kihyun's side to his thigh and slides it around to grope at his ass, earning a whine from the other boy which only serves to encourage him. He lifts his head up to meet Kihyun's lips for another heated kiss, but after a few moments Kihyun pushes at his chest, hard, and he stumbles back a few steps.

Kihyun wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, visibly panting as he tries to get himself under control. His eyes are blown, cheeks crimson and lips swollen and glistening. "Minhyuk, we're drunk. We shouldn't do this."

Minhyuk wants to do it, though. He wants Kihyun's lips again, he wants his lithe body pressed flush against his. Based on Kihyun's eager response until just now, he wants it too.

"Not now. Not like this," Kihyun says with impressive determination, as if sensing Minhyuk's indecisiveness. "I'm gonna go now. See you at school on Monday. Don't be late for classes."

Kihyun turns to the door, opens it and leaves.

 

Minhyuk doesn't see Kihyun on Monday. Not in class, not at lunch, not in the hallways. Partly because now that they are second-years they have less classes in common due to them being able to choose classes they want to focus on and partly because Minhyuk's a coward so he goes to a fast food restaurant near campus for lunch instead of going to the cafeteria and risk running into Kihyun.

They haven't contacted each other since Friday night. Minhyuk remembers their kiss in startling detail and since Kihyun was less drunk than him, he's sure he must remember it just as well. He just doesn't know what's going to happen now, what this makes them. He kissed him like he has wanted to do many times before, like he has imagined doing even more times, but now that he's sober he regrets it. Kihyun kissed him back and seemed into it, but then he pushed him away and left, so he's afraid he just went along with it because they were drunk.

No matter what happens he wants to keep Kihyun as a friend. Of course, he would love to have him be his boyfriend, but if he can't have that, he's fine with him as his best friend. More importantly, he hopes Kihyun isn't mad or disgusted with him. One harmless kiss when they were drunk is not enough to ruin their friendship, right? Kihyun isn't that petty. He believes he wouldn't tell him to get lost and that he never wants to see him again. He knows he wouldn't do that. However, he's afraid that if Kihyun rejects him but is okay with staying friends, things still won't be like they used to be. He is afraid Kihyun will start avoiding him, sit far away from him on the couch when they watch TV, stop telling him to stay over when it's late.

He could just talk to Kihyun and his questions and worries would be answered, but he's too much of a coward to do it.

So Minhyuk avoids him. Avoids him in the classes they have together, sits as far away from him as he can get. Kihyun doesn't come sit next to him either, which makes him feel even worse. He avoids going to the cafeteria for lunch for a few days, but then musters up his courage and eats there on Thursday and Friday, but doesn't see Kihyun. They still haven't contacted each other and Minhyuk's sad and lonely. He misses his friend and it's only now that he's been walking to and from classes and eating lunch all alone for a week that he realizes Kihyun is his only good friend in this school. Sure, there are some other guys he talks to now and then, but no one he feels comfortable enough to go and sit with. They're all eating with other people, laughing and smiling and they'd probably allow Minhyuk to sit with them out of common courtesy, but he's not that desperate. He doesn't want to sit with them anyways, because they're not Kihyun.

When he's in his last class for the day, Minhyuk feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and he whips it out at light speed, almost sprinting right out of class when he reads the messages.

> **Kihyun** : Are you coming over tonight?
> 
> **Kihyun** : It's Friday
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Of course

 

Minhyuk swings by his apartment after school to leave his bag and freshen up a bit, just because. He contemplates bringing soju or beer to celebrate them speaking again, but decides against it when he thinks about what happened last time they drank and he doesn't want to risk Kihyun thinking he's going to kiss him again if he drinks.

He takes the stairs up to Kihyun's apartment three at a time and he thinks even the door bell sounds happy when he rings it. A moment later, Kihyun, clad in his apron, opens it and lets him in.

"Hey."

"Hi."

An awkward staring match ensues.

Minhyuk breaks the eye contact first to bend down and take off his shoes, then walks past Kihyun to the kitchenette. "What are you making?"

Kihyun comes up next to him to open the lid of the large pot on the stove and stir it. "Just kimchi stew. It should be done."

The delicious smell emanating from the pot makes him smile. "I love kimchi stew."

"I know." Kihyun says this with a smile and Minhyuk feels the awkward tension between them evaporate like the steam from the stew. Is this a peace offering, is he offering him the olive branch? Is he indirectly telling him he's not mad at him for kissing him and they're still friends? He hopes so.

 

When they've finished eating and are leisurely watching TV — every now and then judging the stupid characters in the drama — Kihyun suddenly lowers the volume and turns to Minhyuk, a serious expression on his face. Minhyuk is suddenly nervous, thinks that this is it. Kihyun is going to tell him their friendship is over and Kihyun just wanted to cook one last dinner for him. He is immensely relieved when Kihyun starts talking, but his relief only lasts for a second, as he can guess what Kihyun is going to say and he already misses him, even though they're sitting here on his couch together.

"You know how I applied to go on exchange last year," Kihyun starts in a careful tone. Minhyuk nods. Of course he remembers. He helped him with the application. "I found out a while back that I got offered a spot at my first choice in Japan. I accepted it today." He smiles but it looks forced, although Minhyuk knows how happy he must be.

So Minhyuk smiles for him instead, because he's happy for him. "That's awesome! I knew you'd pass. After all, I helped you."

Kihyun's smile gets larger for a moment, but then he continues in that same low, serious tone from before, "I'm leaving after this semester ends at the end of August and I'll come back in late February just before our third year starts."

Minhyuk forces his smile to stay on his lips, even as the thought of not seeing Kihyun for six months makes him want to cry. "I bet you're not even going to feel the time passing over there. You need to have fun for me too!"

Kihyun seems to see right through him as he puts a hand on his shoulder, leans a bit forward as if he wants to hug him, but stops at the last moment and just presses his shoulder lightly. He must want to comfort him or maybe Kihyun is also sad at the prospect of being away from him for half a year. If Kihyun doesn't miss him when he's in Japan, how good friends are they really?

"There are still five months left until I leave." Kihyun's smile looks somewhere in between sad and excited, like he's trying to convince Minhyuk they have lots of time together still and there's no reason for him to be sad, but he has a hard time convincing even himself.

"Yeah I know. It's just… I'm gonna miss you," Minhyuk answers honestly.

Kihyun doesn't answer that he'll also miss him, but he can see it in his eyes before the look is replaced with joy as Kihyun smiles and turns back to the TV. "I'm really excited about going! Besides, there's internet in Japan too. We can still text."

Seeing Kihyun's smile makes Minhyuk smile genuinely for the first time in a while. "I'm going to ask you to send photos of Japan every day until you get so annoyed with me you'll wish there is no internet."

Kihyun looks so happy when he briefly glances back at him that Minhyuk decides to keep smiling for him at least until he leaves, because he wants to look at that smile every day so he'll remember it. They still have five more months together and Kihyun will only be gone for six months after that, and like he said, there's internet. It's not the end of the world.

 

Kihyun picks up a part-time job to help finance the trips he wants to make while in Japan, and that in addition to them having less classes together, and more demanding classes that require more studying than last year, limits their time together. They often eat lunch together, but their classes don't always let out at the same time so two days a week their lunch breaks don't overlap. They still hang out at Kihyun's apartment every Friday night, however, and Minhyuk's happy they at least have that.

They never bring up the kiss, nor do they kiss each other again. Minhyuk wants to. He wants to talk about it and he wants to kiss Kihyun, but he's still a coward and doesn't dare make the first move. He doesn't want to ruin what they have and Kihyun will be leaving soon. He doesn't want to risk make it awkward between them when they have so little time together. On the other hand, if it would turn out Kihyun feels the same way as him, he's afraid of them starting something that they'll soon have to put a stop to, albeit temporarily. Being apart as friends is tough enough. Being apart as boyfriends would be even worse.

 

Before he knows it, the semester ends and he's helping Kihyun pack the last of his things. His flight ticket and passport lie on the kitchen table, prepared for his flight the next morning. Kihyun comes out of his bedroom holding two turtlenecks, one red and one white.

"Which of these should I bring?" he asks, holding each one up in front of him in turn.

Minhyuk gets a flashback to the first time he saw him, when he came strutting in through the doors of their new school, oozing confidence and looking so effortlessly handsome. He hasn't changed — he can be just as annoyingly confident as then and looks good in whatever he puts on — but Minhyuk knows him so much better now and those are just (some of) the things he likes about him.

"Bring both," he tells him. "You look good when you wear them at the same time."

Kihyun considers it for a moment, then puts them both in his suitcase with a shy smile, a light dusting of pink on his cheeks.

 

It's late when they're done packing. Minhyuk knows they could have finished long ago, but neither of them wants to say goodbye so they just kept packing and finding excuses for Minhyuk to stay longer. It's close to midnight when he knows he has to leave in order to let Kihyun get some sleep, since he has to wake up early for his flight. He tells him as much and Kihyun lets out a chuckle lacking any mirth.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep. I'm too nervous."

"The flight is too short for you to get much sleep on it. You need to at least try," Minhyuk chastises him. "You want to be full of energy when you get to Japan, right?"

"Of course. I'm just… too nervous and excited. I don't think I'll be able to relax." Kihyun sighs and avoids his gaze, sweeps his eyes over his room and his packed suitcase waiting by the door.

"You don't look excited," Minhyuk comments in a low voice, frown creeping onto his features.

Kihyun turns back to him, eyes searching for his and softening. "I am, but I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," Minhyuk confesses, then adds with a smile, "But there's internet, right? I'm going to text you every day."

Kihyun gives him a small smile in return, then steps forward and pulls Minhyuk into a tight hug, pressing his face into his neck. Minhyuk circles his arms around his slim waist and pulls him closer, eyes closing as he breathes in the familiar scent of him. They stay like that for who knows how long, holding each other tight. They have hugged before, but not like this. This hug is intimate, more intimate than a simple hug between friends. He can feel all of Kihyun's body against his own and he lets himself relax against him, mold himself to him. He can feel Kihyun's heart beating, can feel it against his chest whenever Kihyun breaths in and feel it against his neck when he lets it out. Just before Kihyun pulls away, he feels the light touch of his lips pressing a kiss under his ear.

"Remember to eat well even if I'm not here to remind you or cook for you," Kihyun says jokingly, looking up into his eyes with something like longing and adoration shining in them. Then he blinks and the look is gone.

"I'll try, if you promise to try and get some sleep now," Minhyuk answers, smile wavering as he reaches out to stroke a hand over Kihyun's soft hair. "I'll go now."

Kihyun grabs his hand as it falls back to his side and squeezes it for a moment before letting it go. "I'll sleep, so you need to send me photos of you cooking at least once a week."

Minhyuk nods and forces a bright smile onto his face through the tears that threaten to take over. "Have a safe trip! Text me as soon as you can after arriving."

"I will. I'll see you next year."

Minhyuk puts on his shoes and opens the door, waving once before stepping through the door and leaving. Kihyun's smiling brightly at him as he waves back, but he can see that he, too, is fighting tears.

 

> <Minhyuk sent a photo>
> 
> **Kihyun** : You call that cooking?
> 
> **Minhyuk** : It's an egg in a pot of water on the stove, so yes. I do
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Be glad I didn't try to cook it in the microwave
> 
> **Kihyun** : Don't tell me you thought of doing that
> 
> **Minhyuk** : No. I learned my lesson after the first time
> 
> **Kihyun** : …
> 
> **Kihyun** : At least eat some vegetables with it

Minhyuk decides that the egg must be done by now so he takes the single, lonely egg off the stove and drains the water. He tries to peel it and burns his fingers and the whites stick to the shell. He gives up trying after a while and presents the mutilated egg on his nicest plate. He takes out his jar of kimchi and places it next to it. As a finishing touch he drops some of the kimchi juice in an artistic pattern around the egg. He takes a photo of his finished creation and sends it to Kihyun.

> **Minhyuk** : Voila!
> 
> **Kihyun** : That's the saddest meal I've ever seen
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I think I'll stick to fried eggs
> 
> **Kihyun** : I allow you to make a bowl of ramyun to eat with that

 

Friday nights return to Minhyuk in the form of gaming and pizza binging. During the time his Friday nights were claimed by Kihyun, he used to find other times to game, so it's not like he's exactly missed his lonely Friday nights. In fact, he just misses his Kihyun nights.

 

Kihyun sends him photos of white castles and streets lined by neon signs, bright red autumn foliage and old temples. He keeps his promise of sending him one photo a day, no matter how trite. When he gets a cold he sends a photo of the array of mysterious cold medicine available in the drug store. He sends a photo of the karaoke place he goes to with his new friends and where he sings Japanese pop songs, bragging that his Japanese has gotten so good he can follow the lyrics on the screen. He sends him photos of the elaborate meals he somehow manages to cook in his tiny studio. He takes the wrong train and ends up in the wrong part of the city, but takes beautiful, artistic pictures of a normal Japanese residential area.

The daily photos make Minhyuk feel like he's there with him and he enjoys looking at Japan through Kihyun's eyes, wondering how the foreign country would look if he was next to him, enjoying it with him.

 

Minhyuk sends a photo of his next culinary experiment to Kihyun. He followed the recipe precisely, did exactly as it said, but…

> **Kihyun** : At least you tried
> 
> **Kihyun** : I can't believe you managed to fuck up green onion pancakes
> 
> **Minhyuk** : But at least you can tell what it's supposed to be
> 
> **Kihyun** : That's nothing to be proud of

 

> <Minhyuk sent a photo>
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I made kimbap
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Looks good right
> 
> **Kihyun** : Nice try
> 
> **Kihyun** : I can see the packaging in the corner of the picture
> 
> **Minhyuk** : It's Sunday and freezing outside and I left the warmth of my house just to buy it
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Praise me
> 
> **Kihyun** : Good job

 

> <Minhyuk sent a photo>
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I actually made this all by myself
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I cooked the rice but forgot to wash it first
> 
> **Minhyuk** : And the onions made me cry
> 
> **Minhyuk** : And I might have burnt the pork a little
> 
> **Kihyun** : It looks good
> 
> **Kihyun** : I knew you could do it if you tried

 

> **Minhyuk** : I think last time was beginner's luck
> 
> **Minhyuk** : There was a little accident
> 
> <Minhyuk sent a photo>
> 
> **Kihyun** : Are you okay???
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I put out the fire before the firefighters came
> 
> **Minhyuk** : They said everything's okay. Just need to clean it up
> 
> **Kihyun** : Are you hurt?
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I'm okay, don't worry
> 
> **Kihyun** : Good
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I think I'm taking a break from cooking for a while
> 
> **Kihyun** : Good thinking
> 
> **Kihyun** : Be careful

 

> <Kihyun sent a photo>
> 
> **Kihyun** : I got a 100% on my kanji test
> 
> **Minhyuk** : *claps*
> 
> **Kihyun** : I was up all night cramming for it
> 
> **Kihyun** : Can barely keep my eyes open
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Don't wear yourself out
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Go to bed early tonight
> 
> **Kihyun** : It's not even 5 PM. I'm not a grandpa
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I won't tell anyone
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Want me to write you a lullaby?
> 
> **Kihyun** : Wait. I'm gonna take a shower first
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I'm waiting
> 
> …
> 
> **Kihyun** : In bed now.
> 
> **Kihyun** : Where's my lullaby?
> 
> **Minhyuk** : …
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I actually don't know any lullabies
> 
> **Kihyun** : Talk to me until I fall asleep then
> 
> **Kihyun** : Won't take long
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I spilled soup on my shirt in school today
> 
> **Minhyuk** : It's white. Was white
> 
> **Kihyun** : Sounds like something you'd do
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Thanks for the compliment
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I got an A in that assignment I told you about
> 
> **Kihyun** : *claps*
> 
> **Minhyuk** : But I have another assignment due tomorrow
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Haven't even started on it
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Can't find the motivation
> 
> **Minhyuk** : The topic is so boring
> 
> …
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Did you fall asleep?
> 
> …
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Goodnight

 

> **Kihyun** : Happy birthday!
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Thanks!
> 
> <Minhyuk sent a photo>
> 
> **Minhyuk** : My mom sent me seaweed soup
> 
> **Kihyun** : Are you celebrating alone?
> 
> **Minhyuk** : It's a weekday. Don't have time for a party or anything
> 
> **Kihyun** : I'll celebrate with you next year
> 
> **Kihyun** : I don't want you to be alone on your birthday
> 
> **Minhyuk** : You're texting me, so I don't feel alone

 

> **Minhyuk** : Happy birthday!
> 
> **Kihyun** : Thanks!
> 
> **Kihyun** : Some of my friends here invited me out for yakiniku
> 
> <Kihyun sent a photo>
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Are you drunk?
> 
> **Minhyuk** : You look drunk
> 
> **Kihyun** : No
> 
> **Kihyun** : Had a couple drinks. Tipsy
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Don't drink too much
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Get home safe
> 
> **Kihyun** : I will, don't worry
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Can you trust those guys? They're good guys?
> 
> **Minhyuk** : They won't leave you passed out on the street or anything?
> 
> **Kihyun** : They're good I trust them
> 
> **Kihyun** : But I'll stop drinking if you want me to
> 
> **Minhyuk** : No don't stop because of me
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I want you to enjoy yourself. I just worry
> 
> **Kihyun** : It's okay. I'll stop. I can't text you if I get too drunk
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Good to know you've got your priorities straight
> 
> **Kihyun** : Of course
> 
> **Minhyuk** : But you should talk to the others
> 
> **Minhyuk** : It's your birthday and they wanted to celebrate it with you
> 
> **Kihyun** : You're more fun to talk to
> 
> **Kihyun** : And because it's my birthday I want to talk to you
> 
> **Minhyuk** : We can text when you're home
> 
> **Kihyun** : Okay. Stay up for me. I'll be home before midnight
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I will

 

> **Kihyun** : I think I love Japanese christmas
> 
> <Kihyun sent a photo>
> 
> **Kihyun** : Did you know they eat fried chicken here on christmas?
> 
> **Kihyun** : It's like traditional christmas food for them
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Bet you wish we had the same tradition in Korea
> 
> **Kihyun** : I wish everyday was Japanese christmas

 

> **Minhyuk** : Since it's a new year, I've decided to take up cooking again
> 
> <Minhyuk sent a photo>
> 
> **Kihyun** : I want to say it looks good but I can't tell what it is
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Stew
> 
> **Kihyun** : That much I can tell
> 
> **Kihyun** : What's in it?
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Tuna, sausage, kimchi etc.
> 
> **Kihyun** : What's etc
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Whatever I found in my cupboard
> 
> **Kihyun** : I can see that
> 
> **Kihyun** : How does it taste
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Wait a moment. I'll taste it
> 
> **Minhyuk** : It's edible
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Not sure I'll make it again though
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Like ever
> 
> **Kihyun** : Maybe try following a recipe next time?
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I did
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I didn't have some of the ingredients so I substituted them with what I had and this is how it ended up
> 
> **Kihyun** : Well at least you tried and you didn't set anything on fire
> 
> **Minhyuk** : I'm quite proud of myself
> 
> **Kihyun** : Keep practicing
> 
> **Kihyun** : Maybe one day you'll cook something for me
> 
> **Minhyuk** : One day in the very distant future

 

> <Kihyun sent a photo>
> 
> **Kihyun** : The last supper
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Looks delicious! Now I want sushi too
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Have you packed?
> 
> **Kihyun** : Almost finished
> 
> **Kihyun** : I'll be busy tomorrow moving out and going to the airport and all
> 
> **Kihyun** : But I'll text you when I'm back home in Korea, if not before
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Have a safe trip!
> 
> **Kihyun** : Thanks!

 

> <Kihyun sent a photo>
> 
> **Kihyun** : Getting on the plane. Almost home
> 
> **Kihyun** : Won't have wifi on the plane
> 
> **Kihyun** : I'll text you when I'm back
> 
> …
> 
> **Minhyuk** : Can't wait to see you

 

Time seems to pass at a snail's pace. To Minhyuk it feels like it's been six years, not six months when February finally rolls around and the short month passes by one slow second at a time. He waits anxiously for March when he'll get to see Kihyun again.

On the evening of the last day of February, he paces around his apartment, socks polishing his floor to a shine, waiting for Kihyun to let him know he's arrived safely and that he's home. When his phone buzzes from the table he flies across the room in his haste to check it.

> **Kihyun** : Do you wanna come over?

Minhyuk thrusts his phone in the pocket of his sweatpants, throws on a jacket and runs almost all the way to Kihyun's apartment, using the handrail as help as he pulls himself up the stairs, panting. Only when he's got a finger on the door bell does he remember that he never answered the text. There's no point in answering now that he's already here, and he forgets about the text altogether when a second later, the door swings open to reveal Kihyun on the other side. He doesn't waste any time in stepping inside and kicking off his shoes, the door falling shut behind him. His lips meet Kihyun's the next second like it's the most natural thing in the world and the other boy sighs into the kiss, fingers desperately grabbing onto Minhyuk's jacket as he kisses him back, just as enthusiastically.

They break apart to breath after a while and Minhyuk envelops him in a hug. Kihyun hugs him back tightly, muttering an "I missed you" into his hair. Minhyuk answers him that he's glad he's home. They hold each other for a long time, Minhyuk finally stepping back when he gets too hot in his jacket. He takes it off and then takes a few moments to study Kihyun. His hair is back to its natural dark shade, the brown color he had before he left either having grown out or been dyed over. His complexion is bright and clear — not that it's ever been bad — and he seems to shine, exude happiness like he's been eating well and living life (and maybe, hopefully, it's partly because he's happy to see Minhyuk again). He's gained some weight and he's thinking that it looks good on him, just as Kihyun says, in a displeased tone,

"You've lost weight."

"I have you to fatten me up now, so I'll gain it back in no time." Minhyuk's been trying to eat well, but with no one there to remind him to eat properly and three times a day, he might have sometimes forgotten. Or not cared, because always eating alone makes him lose his appetite.

Kihyun points at the table behind him and says, as if having predicted Minhyuk's weight loss, "I got chicken."

Minhyuk peeks around him and, sure enough, there are two boxes of fried chicken there. It's too much for Kihyun to eat alone, so he must have ordered for the both of them knowing he would come. Without saying a word, Minhyuk goes to the couch and turns on the TV, Kihyun following him with the chicken. The routine is so familiar Minhyuk wants to cry even as he can't stop smiling. It must be tears of happiness.

 

"How does it feel being back?" Minhyuk asks when they've finished their food.

Kihyun contemplates his question for a moment before answering. "Weird. I was in Japan only some hours ago. And I miss it — Japan, the exchange, everything was so awesome — but it's good to be home." He says this last part while looking at Minhyuk, a gentle expression on his face and eyes full of warmth, lips curled up in a smile.

"It's good to have you back."

As they keep gazing at each other, something in Kihyun's eyes changes. A look of want appears, a look he's glimpsed a few times, but which is always quickly and carefully hidden away as soon as it appears. This time, however, it doesn't disappear. Kihyun doesn't store it away, doesn't hide it from him and Minhyuk can feel a similar hunger building up inside him. He has always tried to keep it at bay, but now he can feel it escaping and he can't stop it, doesn't want to stop it as Kihyun leans forward. Minhyuk mimics him and it feels as natural as it did when they kissed inside the door an hour ago as he places his hand gently on Kihyun's cheek and Kihyun's hand comes up to his hair. He feels like he can finally breath again when Kihyun's lips press against his, although it should be other way around. Kihyun's lips are taking his breath away, but feeling that the other boy wants this as much as he does makes his heart light and eases all his worries. Tells him that they are all right, that they're together again now, that Kihyun is home.

Kihyun kisses him hungrily, tasting of fried chicken and himself and Minhyuk responds with just as much eagerness, grabbing onto his waist and pulling him onto his lap. The other boy easily straddles him, hands coming to rest on either side of his neck and bending his head back to kiss him hard, tongue slick against his and body hot. Minhyuk keeps one hand on the small of Kihyun's back, the other coming up to thread through the silky strands of his hair.

As Minhyuk squeezes him closer, Kihyun makes a little, desperate noise at the back of his throat. He ruts down against him, presses their crotches together and oh. Oh. Kissing Kihyun is nice and all — wonderful, fantastic, great — and Minhyuk's wanted to do it for so long he thought he'd be okay with spending the rest of his life only kissing him, but as Kihyun grinds down again he's not so sure anymore. He can feel Kihyun hot and hard through the layers of clothes they are wearing and with a start he is aware of his own erection.

Kihyun presses down again and this time Minhyuk bucks his hips up, meeting his thrust to get more of that friction. He grabs Kihyun's ass with one hand to keep him close as they grind together, the other sliding up the smooth skin of his back under his shirt. Kihyun tears his mouth away from his to let out a high-pitched whine. His eyes are so dark they're almost black when they stare into Minhyuk's own and he thinks he could come just by the intensity in them. He squeezes a hand in between their bodies and finds Kihyun long and hard. He strokes him above his jeans, never looking away from his face.

Kihyun moans, his face scrunching up in pleasure and he gasps out an "I'm gonna come" before his eyes roll back and his body shudders, hips jerking into Minhyuk's palm. Minhyuk watches him through it all, swelling impossibly in his pants at the sight. When Kihyun comes down from his high, he gives Minhyuk a sleepy smile before he claims his lips in a kiss, one hand sliding between them and into the elastic waist of Minhyuk's sweatpants, past his underwear. The sensational feeling of Kihyun's hand grabbing him is almost enough for him to soil his pants right then and there, so it only takes a few tugs before he does come, Kihyun's mouth swallowing his moans as he strokes him through it.

 

Later they sit under a blanket, Minhyuk snuggling into Kihyun's side, just breathing and not speaking, stealing chaste kisses every now and then. There's a variety show on on the TV, but he's not watching it; he prefers listening to the sound of Kihyun's heartbeat under his ear. It's calm and steady, strong like Kihyun's arm around his waist holding him close, possessively.

After an eternity, Kihyun speaks, his voice low and close to his ear, "I have to go see my parents tomorrow before school starts. But we'll see each other on Monday, right? We have the first class together."

Minhyuk nods against his chest, a bit sad that he'll have to be away from Kihyun for another couple of days, but understanding that his parents will want to see him and he them. "I'll save you a seat in class," he promises.

Kihyun leans back a bit to look at him, chuckling. "I think it's I who'll be saving you a seat while texting you until you finally wake up and get out of bed." He caresses Minhyuk's cheek lightly and lifts his face up with two fingers under his chin to press a lingering kiss to his lips. "I wish Monday would come soon."

Minhyuk agrees wholeheartedly. "I should be getting home. Are you going to your parents' in the morning?"

Kihyun reluctantly lets him go, pushes the blanket off them and gets to his feet, stretching a bit after sitting still for so long. He holds a hand out for Minhyuk and pulls him to his feet, catching him in a hug. "Yes. They want me there for lunch. I feel like I'm kicking you out, though. I wish you could stay."

Minhyuk squeezes him briefly and pecks him on the cheek, then reluctantly lets him go to go put on his shoes and jacket. "We didn't see each other for half a year, what's another couple of days?" he says jokingly, a hand on the door.

"Right?" Kihyun laughs, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He looks conflicted as he takes a step closer to Minhyuk. "It's late. Be careful on your way home."

"I will be," Minhyuk assures him, fingers curling around the door handle.

Kihyun takes a step closer, barely half a meter away now. "It's not like I need to leave that early tomorrow morning or anything."

Minhyuk lets go of the door handle, fingers moving to grab onto the zipper of his jacket instead, pulling it back down. "I've slept on your couch before. I bet it doesn't mind me doing it again."

Kihyun pushes his jacket off his shoulders and hangs it up on a hook while Minhyuk kicks his shoes back off. "The bed is big enough for two people."

Minhyuk goes to turn off the TV and then the lights. "We should probably go to bed. You must be tired from the flight and all."

"Yeah, I think I'll fall asleep the moment I lie down in bed," Kihyun says once Minhyuk joins him in the bedroom and they crawl under the sheets together. Minhyuk pulls him close to give him a kiss goodnight. He intended it to be quick and chaste and it was at first, but neither of them wants to stop kissing the other and it gradually turns deeper and more passionate, tongues sliding together like their lower bodies.

Minhyuk pushes Kihyun flat on his back on the bed and crawls on top of him, pressing a knee between his thighs. Kihyun bucks up against him and they rut together until they once again come in their pants, mouths fused in a never-ending kiss.

 

On Monday, the first day of his third year, Minhyuk makes it to class with five minutes to spare. He sits down next to Kihyun, who looks up at him, a smile on his face, and puts away his phone.

"You made it," Kihyun says, sounding impressed. "I was just about to ask you if you're on the way yet."

Minhyuk bumps his shoulder with his own. "You have no faith in me. It's a new year and a new, improved Minhyuk."

Kihyun takes his hand under the table, but lets it go almost as soon as he grasped it, as if his hand has a mind of its own and his brain was late in catching up to what it was doing and belatedly stopped it. "But I liked the old Minhyuk."

Minhyuk beams at him and the indirect sort-of-confession and leans a bit closer. "He's still in here."

A blush rises on Kihyun's cheeks and he avoids Minhyuk's eyes as he hurries to ask, "Can we talk during lunch? Somewhere private."

Minhyuk nods in agreement and asks to make sure, "Before eating?"

"Yeah, I want to- I need to talk to you about something first. The sooner the better."

 

They meet up before lunch and decide to take a walk around campus. Kihyun tells him he doesn't want people to overhear, so it's best to be outside. It's too cold to sit down, so they just walk side by side, close but not touching. Minhyuk wants to take his hand, but Kihyun keeps them both in his pocket. He waits for him to speak.

"Are we boyfriends?" Kihyun suddenly blurts out and then slaps a hand against his mouth as if he hadn't planned on phrasing his question like that. "I mean, I don't like not knowing and if you don't want us to be, I'd rather you tell me now-"

"Yes," Minhyuk interrupts him, lips straining as he tries and fails to keep them from stretching into a smile.

Kihyun looks at him sharply, eyes shining with hope as he spots his smile, but there's a hint of fear in them too. "Yes to what?"

"Yes to boyfriends," Minhyuk clarifies and the fear disappears from Kihyun's eyes.

"Good," Kihyun utters, seemingly satisfied with that answer. Then, after a few moments of them looking at each other, he averts his eyes and continues, "The other day when we- I was pretty sure you also- Well, you obviously didn't mind it. But I had to make sure."

Minhyuk brings an arm around Kihyun's shoulder and the shorter boy stumbles a bit as he's pulled closer. "To be honest, I've wanted to kiss you since that time we kissed at the beginning of our second year. And even before that."

Kihyun's groans at the memory. "I'm sorry for just leaving that time, but I was afraid you only kissed me because you were drunk and you kept talking about that freshman and how wanted to take him home and I was afraid you somehow mistook me for him and…"

Minhyuk smirks at him. "Were you jealous?"

Kihyun grimaces and pushes at his chest, not meeting Minhyuk's eyes as he answers that he definitely wasn't. Then he interrupts Minhyuk's gleeful laughter by asking, "Did you really think that guy was cute? Do you still?"

"Jooheon?" Minhyuk talks to him sometimes when he runs into him on campus, and even without the beer goggles he thinks he's indeed super cute and squishy and he tells as much to Kihyun, whose expression sours. "But," he hurries to add. "I don't like him. Not like that. He's like a puppy and I don't want to… do those kinds of things to a puppy. Besides, cute is overrated."

Kihyun obviously finds some fault in that too. "So you don't think I'm cute?"

Minhyuk hurries to placate him. "I do! You're very cute. Sometimes."

Kihyun cringes a bit, but admits, with the corners of his mouth twitching, "Good enough." He puts a hand behind Minhyuk's neck and pulls him close for a quick kiss. "We should go eat lunch."

"We should," Minhyuk agrees, pushing Kihyun into the shadowed passage between two buildings, "Or we could…" He catches Kihyun's lips for another, proper kiss.

Their kiss starts slow, but then Kihyun pushes Minhyuk against the wall and it's not long until they're making out like horny teenagers, hands grabbing at hair and around waists and holding onto shoulders. Minhyuk fights for dominance of the kiss for a bit, but gives in after a while, not minding the feeling of being squished between Kihyun's unexpectedly strong body and the brick wall.

 

They barely have time to see each other for the next couple of days, so when Kihyun comes over on Thursday, he doesn't even have time to complain about the messy state of Minhyuk's apartment like he usually does, because Minhyuk's tongue down his throat prevents him from speaking. And then when they fall onto his bed in a tangle of limbs, Kihyun doesn't even complain about hitting his head on the headboard, because his mouth is too busy gasping as Minhyuk grinds their crotches together. With Kihyun under him like this, sucking on his lip and hand grabbing at his ass to pull him closer, Minhyuk absentmindedly wonders how he was ever able to wait so long to do this.

Minhyuk's mouth falls open as he continues rubbing against Kihyun, the friction exquisite, but not enough. He shoves a hand up the other boy's shirt, stroking over his flat stomach and up to his chest to lightly tease his nipples, causing Kihyun to jerk underneath him. Encouraged by the response, he pushes his shirt up to his armpits and drops his mouth to his chest, pressing open mouthed kisses where he can reach and taking one hard nub into his mouth, sucking on it until it's wet and sensitive. One of Kihyun's hands twists into his hair to hold his head against his chest while the other sneaks under his shirt to caress his back.

Minhyuk lets go of the hard nipple with a pop to align their hips again, seeking friction. He's not sure whether the groan he heard in response came from Kihyun or himself, but it doesn't matter as he gazes into Kihyun's blown eyes, lips swollen and red as he parts his mouth on a breathless moan.

Kihyun pulls him down for a short but bruising kiss, only breaking apart to pull impatiently at Minhyuk's shirt, muttering at him to take it off to which he readily agrees. Afterward, he helps Kihyun with his own shirt before he lies down on top of him again, his breath catching in his throat at the feeling of skin against skin. Kihyun places his hands on his ass and presses him down, throwing his head back at the feeling of them both growing harder as they grind together. Minhyuk greedily sucks on the exposed skin of his throat, squeezing a hand between them to pull his zipper down and push his jeans down his legs along with his underwear. He rises up a bit to kick them off completely, then diving back down to Kihyun's mouth, his crotch brushing deliciously against the rough fabric of Kihyun's pants.

Kihyun's hands come up to his shoulders and smooth down his long back to palm at his bare ass. He breaks their kiss to mutter out a curse and sits back on his heels to help Kihyun rid himself of the rest of his clothes. Minhyuk's eyes greedily take in the wide expanse of naked skin before him, feeling himself grow harder between his legs. He would gladly stay like this for the rest of the day, just watching, but he's soon pulled down again, one of Kihyun's legs coming up around his waist.

He lets out a sigh of pleasure as they grind naked together, Kihyun's moans urging him on. He can feel himself get close and if the breaths coming short and fast from the other boy are anything to go by, the feeling is mutual. He pushes himself up on his elbows and snakes a hand down to take them both in his hand and stroke them to a finish together. Kihyun lets out a strangled cry as he shoots between them first and he soon follows with a shout of his own, collapsing in bed next to the other boy.

 

"I actually didn't come over for this," Kihyun says some time later when they've cleaned up and are lounging in bed.

Minhyuk looks up from where he's been resting his head on Kihyun's chest, pretending to be shocked as he replies, "You mean this wasn't a booty call?"

Kihyun narrows his eyes at him and pushes his head back down to his chest, threading his fingers through his hair. "No, and you would have found out if you had let me speak."

Minhyuk grins against Kihyun's shirt. "It's not like you minded." He glances up and sees Kihyun's cheeks tinted pink.

"That's beside the point," Kihyun decides. "The reason I came here, and what I want to tell you, is that when I was in Japan, I signed up for-"

Minhyuk abruptly sits up in a panic, Kihyun's hand falling away from his hair. "Don't tell me you're leaving me for Japan again."

Kihyun smiles reassuringly at him and coaxes him back down to snuggle against his side. Minhyuk agrees, because Kihyun is the perfect pillow, but he's still anxious.

"In Japan, I signed up for a contest on a whim," Kihyun continues, hand back to toy with Minhyuk's hair. "Some silly little thing I never thought I'd win, but I did."

"What's the prize?" Minhyuk asks carefully.

"A weekend getaway for two to an onsen town. We would have to pay for the plane tickets ourselves, but if we find a good deal, it won't be too expensive."

Minhyuk pushes up on his elbow to look up at Kihyun expectantly peering down at him. "Are you taking me?"

Kihyun flushes and once more pushes Minhyuk's head firmly to his chest, preventing him from looking at him as he nervously starts chattering. "Only if you want to come. But I'd love to show you Japan and onsens are great. We'd get to stay in a traditional inn and breakfast and dinner are included and we could also visit all public onsens in the town for free and there are some outdoor ones and the town is supposed to be really pretty and-"

Minhyuk reaches a hand up to place it on Kihyun's mouth to shut him up, then presses a kiss to his chest and hugs him closer. "Of course I'll go with you. A deal like that is too good to pass up."

"You're only going because of that?"

"No. I'm going because I get to spend a weekend with you. Obviously I'd go even without you, because like I said, it's a great deal." Kihyun smacks his back lightly, so he amends his statement, "But I'm mostly going because I get to go with you and I couldn't care less about the onsens or the free meals."

Kihyun hums and thinks this over. "Let's just stay home then. We can spend a weekend in my apartment and we won't have to pay for the flights."

"No no no no!" Minhyuk exclaims in objection, sitting up.

Kihyun laughs. "Just kidding. If we stayed in my apartment I'd have to cook for you."

"When are we going?" he wonders, already imagining the two of them soaking together in a hot spring and strolling through a cute Japanese town.

Kihyun pulls him back down to his chest yet again and holds him tightly with both arms to prevent him from sitting up again. "The voucher is valid until the end of May, for Friday and Saturday night. We'll have to take a Friday off school to get there by the evening, so let's find a day that'll suit us both."

 

Minhyuk steps out of the small train station in late afternoon on a Friday in the middle of May. The weather is pleasantly warm and a breeze ruffles his hair.

"It's not been long since I left, but it's good to be back," Kihyun says excitedly from next to him. "Even if it's just for a weekend. Let's go find our inn."

Minhyuk follows him as they start down the street, temporarily crowded by other tourists who were on the same train as them. They stroll past souvenir shops selling Japan-themed goods and local specialties, cozy cafes and public baths. A canal lined with lush, green trees runs along the main street. He tries to take everything in at once, turning his head and craning his neck looking this way and that. He points out funny or weird things he sees and asks Kihyun what some signs mean. It's his first time in Japan and although he's seen the country in movies and photos before (and heard a lot about it from Kihyun's unceasing chatter) experiencing it in person is something else entirely. He still can't believe they were in Korea just this morning. He should be tired from the trip — first the flight and then the train ride — but Kihyun's excitement must be rubbing off on him and he's thrilled at being abroad.

Kihyun finds their inn with a jubilant shout and ushers Minhyuk inside before him. A young woman in a yukata hurries up to them and bows, greeting them welcome. She brings them to the front desk to check in, then shows them to their room. It's small and cozy with tatami mats on the floor, a low table in the center with two cushions to sit on and a decorative scroll hanging on the wall in an alcove. The woman explains that the bath is shared, which is okay with them since they'll be visiting the onsens anyway. She leaves them alone with the promise that dinner will be brought to them in half an hour.

Minhyuk spins around to check out the room further when she's gone, oohing and aahing at the incredible Japaneseness of it all.

Kihyun seems pleased and a bit smug at his reaction. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Minhyuk answers honestly. "No wonder you won't ever shut up about Japan whenever you start talking about it."

Kihyun ignores his taunt and admits, "It's actually my first time at an inn like this one. They're so expensive I never had the chance to go.

Minhyuk brightens up at that. "Really? I'm glad I get to experience something in Japan with you that you haven't done before."

"There are lots of things I haven't done," Kihyun assures him. "If we ever come here again together we'll do them."

"Like what?" Minhyuk wonders curiously.

"I've never played pachinko, been to a maid cafe or a love hotel-"

Minhyuk gapes at him, only hearing that last part and blushing lightly. "You wanna go to a love hotel with me?"

Kihyun stares at him, shocked like he hadn't realized what he was saying, and flushes. "I mean- There are supposedly really cool, themed ones like hospital rooms or trains or classrooms or- Not that I want to have sex in school- Or sex with you at all- I mean, I do. Of course. I do want to have sex with you. One day…"

Minhyuk's afraid that if Kihyun's face gets any redder he'll catch fire. He wants to stop him and reassure him that he definitely wants to have sex with him, too, but he doesn't know how, because they've never really brought it up and although they regularly do things, they've never gotten that far and now Minhyuk can feel his own face flaming and he awkwardly clears his throat, croaking out a "Wonder when she'll be back with dinner?"

Kihyun breaths out a sigh of relief, sitting down at the table and fiddling with the pamphlet listing the town's public onsens to have something to with his hands. Minhyuk sits down opposite him after his cheeks have cooled down a bit, nodding at the paper.

"Where do you want to go tonight?"

Kihyun stills his hands to study the selection, pointing them out in order. "What about these two tonight? And then we can go to this one in the morning, walk around town in the day, and tomorrow night we can go here, and on Sunday morning to this last one? That way we can try all of them."

Minhyuk can already see himself returning to Korea in the shape of a raisin, but if Kihyun wants to go to all of them, he'll go with him. "The ones with outdoor baths will be nice in the night. We can watch the stars."

There's a knock on the door and Kihyun gets up to open it, letting the woman from before in with their dinner which she sets on their table, the numerous bowls and plates covering the whole table when she's done. There's sashimi and tempura, soup and pickled vegetables, and so many things he's never seen before and has no idea what they are, but as the woman leaves, he digs in with appreciative sounds of amazement over the delicious feast provided.

 

"I'm too full to move," Minhyuk protests, flopping down to the floor like a dead weight as Kihyun tries and fails to pull him up to his feet.

"You can rest in the onsen," the other boy insists. "If we don't go soon, we won't have time to visit both of them tonight. You wanted to watch the stars."

Minhyuk sits up with a groan. "Okay, but no laughing at my food baby."

Kihyun snorts out a laugh, but quickly promises not to laugh when Minhyuk frowns at him. "I have a food baby too. Let's go already."

They walk outside in borrowed yukatas. It's cooler out now than it was earlier, but the streets are crowded with other guests and tourists in their inns' yukatas, on their way to the baths or just out for a stroll along the streets lined with old, traditional buildings. Minhyuk feels like he's in a historical movie. He feels like he's breaking some unspoken rule by taking out his 21st century phone to take photos, but then he sees a couple taking selfies and assumes it's all right.

He tries not to peek at Kihyun when they undress in the locker room of the onsen they go to, or when they shower next to each other, or when they walk naked to the outdoor pool, but he holds his tiny towel over his crotch — for reasons — until he's immersed in the hot water and has to leave it by the edge of the pool. Kihyun steps in after him and Minhyuk pointedly looks anywhere but at him, because there are other people here and he doesn't think they would appreciate the PDA that would inevitably ensue if he did look at him.

Kihyun slides gracefully through the water to sit down next to him, and Minhyuk tries — really tries — to keep his hands off him, but he can't stop his hand from settling on Kihyun's bare thigh under the water. He's glad for the dim outdoor lights and the depth of the water and the fact that it's not completely see through as the other boy shifts next to him, causing his hand to slide on his slick skin. Kihyun doesn't push his hand away or tell him to move it. Minhyuk wishes he would because he can't stop touching his thigh and it's making himself horny and horny is not a good state to be in when naked in a hot bath with a bunch of other men.

After a while, Kihyun sinks lower to be able to lean the back of his head against the edge of the pool and Minhyuk's hand finally slides off his leg. "Let's watch the stars," Kihyun mumbles from next to him, a little breathlessly. Minhyuk mirrors his pose, leaning back and looking up at the black sky, interspersed with tiny dots of light.

"It's beautiful," he comments, getting a sound of agreement from Kihyun. As he lies in the hot water watching the night sky, he forgets his earlier feelings and just enjoys the relaxing atmosphere, the low murmur of a conversation at the other end of the pool, the splish-splash of water as someone gets in or out, the sensation of Kihyun's fingers stroking up his inner thigh…

Minhyuk chokes on his own saliva and glances at the boy next to him, who looks completely calm and still and unaffected as he watches the sky. "What are you doing?" Minhyuk hisses at him. Kihyun doesn't answer in words; his fingers move higher, the back of his hand briefly brushing against Minhyuk's crotch before it slides down again. "If you keep this up I won't be able to get out of here," Minhyuk warns in a low voice.

Kihyun finally turns to him with a smirk, eyes hooded. "Wanna get up now, then? I think we've been here long enough, I'm starting to feel like a raisin. Maybe we can go to the other onsen tomorrow?"

 

When they get back to their room, Minhyuk briefly notes that their dinner has been cleared away and two futons laid out in its place before Kihyun pushes him down on them, lips attacking his at the same time his hand pushes under the flap of his yukata and into his underwear.

"Will you fuck me tonight?" Kihyun asks, voice pitched low, after pulling away for a breath. Minhyuk almost chokes on his saliva again, both from his words and from his hand grabbing him roughly. Apparently he takes too long to answer, because Kihyun's dark, hooded eyes turn somewhat unsure. "It's okay if you don't want to. We don't have to."

"No!" Minhyuk exclaims and pushes Kihyun off him to get up, belatedly realizing it looks like he's rejecting him — based on the look of hurt and shame on Kihyun's face, he thinks so too — and he hurries to gently lay Kihyun down against the soft blankets and kiss him once before getting up again. "I meant yes. Wait here, let me get the…" he trails off as he clumsily crawls over to his bag to search for the lube and condoms he had packed thinking and hoping that a situation would arise in which he would need them.

When he turns back to the futons, he takes a moment to soak in the sight of Kihyun lying sprawled out on them, looking all kinds of edible in his messy yukata. Minhyuk drops all his own clothes where he's standing and he sees Kihyun's eyes widen and then narrow as they greedily take him in. He stalks over to the other boy and drops down on top of him, pushing his tongue into his mouth without preamble and trailing his fingers up his bare leg under the yukata until he reaches his clothed crotch and brushes his palm over it teasingly.

Kihyun bucks up under him, fingers trailing over his back, down to his ass and up to his shoulders and around to his front, caressing up his chest and sliding down to his crotch, teasing him like Minhyuk's doing.

The remaining garments of clothing between them soon come off and although Minhyuk could spend hours admiring Kihyun's naked form, he wastes no time in preparing him, letting the sounds of encouragement and pleasure from the other lead him. They both gasp as he finally enters him, starting out slow to get them both used to the feeling of Minhyuk inside him. His slow, precise rhythm soon speeds up and turns irregular as he thrusts into Kihyun writhing under him, eagerly meeting his thrusts. He lies down fully on top of him for a kiss, trapping Kihyun's erection between them and feeling it rub against their stomachs until he comes, Minhyuk swallowing his shout and managing a few more sloppy thrusts until he also finds his release.

They lie there for a while, sweaty and limbs entangled, as they catch their breaths. Kihyun squirms under him, complaining first that he can't breath and then that he's sticky so he wants to take another bath, but it's too late for them to go to one of the onsens.

"The inn's bath should still be open," Minhyuk mumbles out, knowing that he also is in need of a shower, but feeling to good and tired and lazy to move.

Kihyun stands a bit unsteadily and groans about pain in his lower back. Minhyuk worries he was too rough and hurt him, but the other boy is smiling shyly and looks perversely happy about it, so he stops worrying. He looks around for his yukata and puts it on, holding a hand out for Minhyuk. "Let's go then."

Minhyuk waves the proffered hand away tiredly. "You go. I'll wash at the onsen in the morning."

Kihyun doesn't listen to him, grabbing both of his hands and hauling him to his feet. "We both smell like sex and I don't want to sleep in that smell. At least take a short shower."

The inn's bath is like a miniature and less fancy version of the public onsens, but there are several showers and a small, hot pool for soaking. And, unlike the onsen they visited earlier, it's empty.

Kihyun goes to soak in the bath after his shower to sooth the pain in his back, telling Minhyuk he has to come join him and keep him company because it's partly his fault he's in pain. Although Minhyuk had planned on just taking a quick shower and then going straight to bed, he doesn't mind it too much when Kihyun straddles his lap in the pool and kisses him. They eventually have to leave when the bath closes for the night, but he doesn't mind that too much either, because when they get back to their room, Kihyun's up for a round two and that Minhyuk doesn't mind in the least.

 

They spend the rest of the trip visiting the other onsens and soaking in the hot baths, strolling in the streets in their yukatas and eating delicious food, taking stupid photos of each other and having amazing sex. Minhyuk is happy. So, so happy. The trip is great and he gets to enjoy it with Kihyun and he's immensely thankful for him signing up for that contest and winning this prize for them.

Before he knows it they're on the plane home, back at school, busy with their part-time jobs and they barely have time to see each other anymore. After three days of spending their every waking moment together, Minhyuk is hit by a severe case of Kihyun-withdrawal. He stays the night at Kihyun's apartment as often as he can, but they both have to study and work late some nights and going home in the morning before school to change clothes and get ready is annoying.

Soon, four nights a week becomes three and then two and then one. The leaves on the trees change color and the first snow falls and Minhyuk misses Kihyun. He misses his boyfriend, his best friend. They still have their Friday nights and they eat lunch in school together whenever they can, but he feels like he's back in first year, when they were just getting to know each other, not exactly friends yet, but friendly with each other. Talked in class but never saw each other outside school, outside the classrooms.

 

"I miss you," Minhyuk tells Kihyun one cold Friday night in the middle of winter. They're cuddling under a blanket on Kihyun's couch, drama playing on the TV and they have just finished dinner.

"I'm right here," Kihyun says with a chuckle, lifting the hand he's got around Minhyuk's shoulders to thread his fingers through his hair.

Minhyuk snuggles into the touch, but he's frowning and Kihyun seems to notice that he's being serious, because his hand stills. Minhyuk glances up at him. "We barely see each other lately. I feel like we're drifting apart and I hate it. I hate that we're both so busy all the time. I hate not seeing you every day. Sometimes I feel like we spent more time together when we were just friends than we do now."

Kihyun hugs him closer and presses a kiss to the top of his head, not letting him go even as he answers, his voice muffled by Minhyuk's hair, "I know. I hate it too. There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but I didn't know how to bring it up-"

"Are you breaking up with me?" Minhyuk snaps his head up, hitting Kihyun on the chin as he sits up straight next to him. The other boy hasn't showed any signs of liking him less even though they've been seeing each other less, but perhaps he wants a boyfriend with whom he can actually spend time together regularly and several times per week. Minhyuk should have worked harder to spend more time with him, even if it meant going to Kihyun's house in the middle of the night after work and then going back home in the morning to get ready for an early class. Maybe then Kihyun wouldn't…

Kihyun rubs his chin and then pulls Minhyuk back down against his chest roughly, preventing him from looking at him. "No! Let me finish, you never let me finish. Just shut up and listen."

"So you're not breaking up with me?" Minhyuk asks hopefully, mouth full of Kihyun's shirt.

"No, I'm not," Kihyun says impatiently. "I've been wanting to ask you if you would like to…" He trails off and thinks for a moment, rearranges his thoughts and starts anew, "Since we don't have much time together right now, and I expect next year will be equally busy since it's our last year in school…" He goes quiet again and Minhyuk is losing his patience.

"Just say it," he mutters.

Kihyun complies and stops beating around the bush, "Do you want to move in with me?"

Minhyuk shoots up straight again, narrowly avoiding dislocating Kihyun's jaw. "What?"

Kihyun's cheeks are red and he avoids eye contact. "I was just thinking. We could see each other more often if we lived together and we would save money by sharing the rent. You have to renew your contract by the start of next school year anyway, so maybe you could move here, then? If you want to. Of course, we could move to your studio too, but my apartment is bigger…"

"Do you want to live together?" Minhyuk asks, still in shock.

Kihyun finally looks at him, cheeks prettily pink. "Yes, but only if you want to. I won't force you. But would you think about it?"

Minhyuk grins and throws his arms around Kihyun's smaller body, crushing him in a tight hug. "Of course I'll move in. I won't have to clean or do laundry anymore and you'll make me breakfast and dinner every day."

Kihyun pushes at his chest, but Minhyuk can feel him smiling against his shoulder. "Don't expect me to take care of you like your mother. You'll have to help out around the house too."

"I'll help out in the bedroom when you need a break from the housework," Minhyuk jokes, running a hand down Kihyun's back to grab his ass. "I'll be your personal bedroom slave."

Kihyun pushes him away with a cringe. "Stop it."

"I know you like it." Minhyuk wiggles his eyebrows at him, leaning closer. "We should seal the deal."

Kihyun nods obligingly and meets him halfway, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. Minhyuk pouts at him when he pulls away. "I don't think that's enough to seal a deal as big as this one," he says before he pushes Kihyun down on the couch.

 

Minhyuk can't wait until March to move in, so he starts to gradually move his things over to Kihyun's apartment, packing a bag whenever he comes over, and Kihyun makes room for his stuff in his closet and gives him his spare key. In January they borrow a car from a friend to move the bigger and heavier stuff and then sell whatever they won't need, like Minhyuk's bed, since he'll be sharing Kihyun's every night from now on. By February he's fully moved in and cancels the contract for his own apartment.

The first night after he has officially moved in with Kihyun, he surprises the younger boy with a home-cooked meal when he comes home from his part-time job. While Kihyun's in the shower, he sets the table and then waits for him to finish and come eat.

Kihyun approaches the table with a curious and a tad apprehensive look on his face. He sits down and sweeps his eyes over the food before them, face unreadable as he looks up at Minhyuk. "You made this?"

Minhyuk nods proudly. "I made the rice in your rice cooker, though."

Kihyun looks back down to the table and takes his chopsticks in hand. He grabs some greens from a small serving plate and chews slowly. "This is… spinach?"

"Yep."

Kihyun stuffs his mouth with rice and then tastes the kimchi. "This is my mom's," Kihyun comments with a smile.

"I found it in the fridge."

Minhyuk watches in suspense as Kihyun grabs his spoon and dips it in the large pot in the middle of the table and stirs it around a bit, then takes a sip of it, sloshing it around his mouth as if he's tasting a wine and figuring out the flavors. He finally swallows and looks up at Minhyuk in question.

"It's soybean paste stew," Minhyuk informs him, studying the other's face for a clue as to what he thinks about his cooking. It didn't taste that bad when he tasted it earlier — in fact, his cooking has been slowly improving. With emphasis on slowly.

"Mm-hmm…" Kihyun says and takes a gulp of water. "It's, uh, how should I put it… It's not bad." He forces that last word out. "There's still room for improvement."

"Is it inedible?" Minhyuk wonders, a bit sad. He wanted to give Kihyun a nice home-cooked meal now that they live together, but he's bad at cooking and he's afraid he's ruined his evening now.

Kihyun smiles reassuringly at him, sensing his change in mood. "No, it's not. Honestly, it's not good, but you made it for me, so I'll eat it."

Minhyuk pouts. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

Kihyun leans over the table and pecks his pout away. "You know I don't like to lie. I'll wait for the day you make me a meal I can honestly tell you is good, but until then I'll gladly eat this."

Minhyuk grins at him, satisfied with that answer. Then he remembers he has one more surprise left, "We'll have cake for dessert."

Kihyun's eyes widen in shock and fear and he spills the soup he had on his spoon on the table. "Did you make it?"

Minhyuk laughs at his expression, even though he feels a bit offended at Kihyun's complete mistrust in his cooking. Who knows, he could be a genius at baking. "No, I bought it," he assures him and Kihyun visibly relaxes, wiping up the spill with a tissue.

"Thank god."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Minhyuk huffs, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kihyun smiles placatingly at him. "I just don't want you to overexert yourself. You should save your energy for the bedroom." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

Minhyuk winks at him from across the table. "Don't worry, I had a nap in the afternoon. I have enough energy to keep going all night."

"Oh really?" Kihyun moves his chair back and stands. "Maybe I should check if that's true. I need to make sure my new bedroom slave stays true to his word."

"What about the cake?" Minhyuk asks, but he's already following Kihyun to the bedroom, pulling his sweater off and leaving it somewhere on the floor, forgotten until tomorrow morning.

"We'll have it for breakfast," Kihyun promises, then pushes Minhyuk on the bed and jumps on top of him.

* * *

Kihyun stands a bit straighter and pushes out his chest in faked confidence as he pulls the door to building No. 5 open and steps inside. Finally. As long as no one saw him getting lost on campus, no one will ever know, because he is certainly taking that little secret with him to the grave.

He's feeling pretty good in his carefully picked out outfit consisting of a red knit turtleneck layered over a white turtleneck and his favorite skinny, black, ripped jeans. Every strand of his newly bleach and dyed hair (a warm caramel shade that suits his complexion perfectly, if he may say so himself) is in its place (he checked in the reflection of the glass door before pulling it open) and he's even put on a bit of BB cream.

He takes a look around at the students milling about and lining up by a desk to confirm their attendance. The first thing, or person, he should say, that catches his attention is a tall, slim guy standing by the sign-up table, clad in a blue turtleneck and skinny jeans (how dare he copy his look!) and as if that's not enough, his hairstyle, although black, is similar to Kihyun's own.

He grinds his teeth in displeasure, reluctantly admitting the guy looks good. Effortlessly good. Kihyun himself spent hours planning today's look, but this guy looks like he just woke up and pulled whatever he could find from his closet and ran here in a hurry. Kihyun hates guys like that. They make him feel inferior and he hates feeling inferior. He catches a look of the guy's face as he turns to enter the lecture hall and he's not only tall but also handsome. Of course he is. Why does the world have to be so unfair?

 

<<<<>>>>

**Author's Note:**

> The town they go to in Japan is based on Kinosaki Onsen: http://www.kinosaki-spa.gr.jp/global/  
> For people unfamiliar with Japan, I'm sorry if the part where they go there was confusing. Here's the wikipedia article on traditional Japanese inns/ryokan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryokan_(inn). And onsens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen


End file.
